Answer: Three reasons. The first is that a doctor told me 25 years ago to get as broad a range of foods into me as I can. He did not say why but I heard an old saying many years ago, “Man who pay for advice and not follow it is a fool!” My subsequent reading has established the following:
The second reason is that each different food has a slightly different beneficial effect on the body. For instance each nut has a different health benefit. Each different dried fruit has a different health benefit. So does each vegetable.
Thirdly, some foods are astronomically more effective when consumed with other foods.
For instance here is an extract from a blurb I received 30th November promoting a turmeric supplement:
“…has developed a curcumin supplement that includes a liposomal delivery system which studies have found increases bioavailability by up to 185x. Their supplement is 100% vegan, organic, and non-GMO. And they’ve found that by combining it with ginger oil and vegan algae-sourced DHA, they create an extraordinarily potent anti-inflammatory compound.”
And another flyer I received at the Mind Body Spirit extols the virtues of a five ingredient mix (Bacopa, Turmeric, Ashwaganda, Green Tea and Milk Thistle) that the vendor claims produces 1 million antioxidants per second per cell in the body and increases Glutathione (the master antioxidant) by 300%!
I think that is pretty damned impressive!
And if you buy a 6 month supply up front of the first supplement it costs US$44 for a 6 week supply.
The second one costs $79 for a 6 week supply.
Since writing the above I received a promotion for this supplement: https://organixx.com/7m-plus/ that contains six different mushrooms. The promotion is a worthy read as it explains some of the data on how to stay healthy found in my book. Significantly, it fails to mention that a key reason for the very low cancer rate in the people from Okinawa is consumption of raw brown seaweed (an extract of which called Modifilan is found in my bars and powders but not in their supplement).
If you have a tub of my NutriBlast Greens + handy, pull it out and check the ingredient list. Or go to http://www.healthelicious.com.au/Nutri-Blast-Greens-Plus.html where the print is larger. 🙂
You will find the above mentioned Bacopa, Turmeric, Ashwaganda, Green Tea and Milk Thistle as well as 6+ different sea vegetables (including Chlorella, Spirulina, Blue Green Klamath, Purple Dulse, Irish Moss and Modifilan), 10 different mushrooms (Agarikon, Blazei, Chaga, Cordyceps, Lions Mane, Mesima, Mitake, Reishi, Shiitake and Turkey Tail) in the ingredient list.
No wonder many people find it clears away the mental fog within minutes of taking it! Let alone what it does long term!
And at AU$65 for a six week supply (if you buy 4 tubs at a time that is the wholesale price) it looks like a steal of a deal.
