SA ranked the unhealthiest country on earth, says nutrition specialist

‘You are what you eat’ was the clear message that Dr Nicholas Partington brought to local audience at the Adventhaven Frail Care and Community Centre on July 6.

 
Dr Partington is a qualified biochemist and practising healthcare professional who has experience in the field of health, wellness and nutrition. He is an advocate of following Biblical guidelines when it comes to healthy eating.

 
Although he has officially retired in 2007 as the medical and scientific manager of Nestle, he is a busy man who devotes his time and energy to give nutritional information and advice to communities who might not have such information readily available.

An executive committee trains members who are readily available and who can be mobilised in their areas where they work (free of charge) in malls, shopping centres, schools or any place where they are invite to do blood pressure tests, cholesterol tests and more and provide valuable healthcare information.

 
Dr Partington told HERAUT that his team also provides information and helps with drug addictions. They have been to schools in the East Rand where they were invited to do talks on improving their memorising abilities. They even have a program (it includes a one and a half hour presentation) to help learners to improve their memory. At one specific school, all the Grade 11 and 12 learners passed their grades that year.

 
The executive team consists of professional health care practitioners and workers and they fund the program themselves. “It is rewarding to be something to someone,” Dr Partington said.

During his health talk, Dr Partington said it is said that your heart has a brain of its own. You know a fetus is alive because you can hear its heart beat. “Isn’t it amazing that the first thing God gave you when He formed you was your heart,” Dr Partington said.

Your small intestine is eight metres long and it is here and in your colon where micro organisms establish themselves. Your brain is always in contact with your stomach. Diseases are mostly caused by your environment, but if you study the Bible carefully you will get to know all the good foods that you can eat to stay healthy.

 
Dr Partington told guests that South Africa is ranked the unhealthiest country on earth out of 169 countries. Drinks and acidic foods create acid in your body. Acid creates a lot of emotional (stress) and physical (aging) problems. You can even switch your genes on or off with the right diet and lifestyle. Diseases run in families because bad eating habits run in families.

 
He quoted Dr Joseph Mercola who said care, not treatment, is the answer. Drugs, surgery and hospitals are rarely the answer to chronic health problems. Facilitating the God-given healing capacity that all of us have is the key. Improving the diet, exercise and lifestyle are basic.

 
Effective interventions for the underlying emotional and spiritual wounding behind most chronic illness are also important clues to maximising health and reducing disease.

 
A Leaky gut affects the whole body. It affects the brain (depression, anxiety and ADHD), Skin (acne, rosacea, eczema and psoriasis), thyroid (hashimotos, hypothyroidism and Graves’ disease), colon (constipation, diarrhoea and IBD), Adrenals (fatigue), Joints (rheumatoid arthritis, fibro myalgia and headaches) and sinus and mouth (frequent colds and food sensitivities).

Symptoms of a leaky gut are: bloating, diarrhoea, pain, stomach cramps after eating, food sensitivities, sinusitis, skin issues such as rosacea and acne, eczema, migraine and headaches, thyroid conditions, joint pain, chronic fatigue and weight gain.

 
You can change your unhealthy state through exercise, drinking lots of water and healthy food. Drinking good, safe water is one of the most important things that you can give your body.
Dr Partington says man was not made to eat meat, but fruit and vegetables. Meat eaters (animals) have very short intestines for expulsion of decomposing flesh. Humans have very long intestines for the slow digestion of fruits and vegetables.

 
He warned that antibiotics present in non-organic meats destroy your gut flora balance. Antibiotics are the most lethal thing for our microbial balance. It will take at least four to eight weeks to reestablish the gut.

 
Dr Partington ended by saying that a plant based diet is the best way to go and that you are the CEO of your body and only you can decide how you are going to look after your health.
If you want to contact Dr Partington, you can send an email to drnpartington@telkomsa.net

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