Nutrition and Runners – A holistic perspective – 3

As long as the minerals, nutrients are in the soil, they are not considered edible. One wouldn’t think of eating rocks, would we?

But when the rain falls and water dampens the soil; and the sun shines on the leaves; and the chlorophyll converts the solar energy into a capillary action through the branches, stem and into the roots, the nutrients from the soil are absorbed into the plant.

Plants thus are the first stop in the chain that converts non edible stuff into edible stuff.

Different parts of the plant take in different levels of nutrition to either make, fruits, flowers, leaves, bark or stem etc. Just as your body has many different parts and the constituents of those parts vary, so does the plant. And each plant also has its own genetic DNA that makes a coconut different from a plantain tree. Just as the same DNA makes you different from the Kenyan.

But this does not mean that you are vastly different from the Kenyan. Your body composition is still largely the same. You both may look ( and run ) differently, but your bones, your brains, your blood are all in the same range of nutritional values.

Similarly the plants also have similar nutritional values in them. They are all in the same range. Only some constituent are more than others in some.

For example a flax seed is said to be good for Omega3s. Does not mean that it is ALL Omega3. It still contains all the other nutrients but contains a little more of the Omega3s. Rice is said to be Carbs..does not mean it is 100% carbs and does not contain any fat or proteins at all.

So here are the take away points

– Plants are the first point in life where non edible soil nutrients are converted into edible format.
– All plants contain all nutrients, in different proportions.