Update (July 15, 2008, 7:24pm):  I have negotiated with a supplement company to provide some basic supplements that I recommend in this article.  You can access it via my supplements page.

I have been going through your emails and comments and thoroughly enjoying your thoughts, questions and recipes. Please forgive me if it takes a while to get through them all. I want to pay careful attention to what you are telling me, and give you my best in my responses.

If you didn’t get the memo with my first article on Habits of Highly Healthy Humans, I asked you to please share your healthy recipes. Boy, have you been great with creative, healthy recipe ideas! Thanks so much. Please keep them coming.

I personally believe that one of the main reasons people struggle with their food choices is they simply don’t know what else to prepare. When you provide us with simple, nutritious, economical and delicious recipes, as you have so graciously done, you benefit everyone.

If you’d like to explore the recipes we have already received, you’ll need to search around a bit, because people have sent them through the comments to various articles. I’ll compile them later when we have a larger number to make them more available.

Yesterday and today I received a question in one email and, serendipitously, an answer in another person’s email (along with a delicious recipe!). Because the comments apply so beautifully to what so many of you have shared with me, I want to use this as an introduction to the Second Habit of Highly Healthy Humans. Here’s the first email:

I read the article by Dr. Gardner and fully agree that eating fresh foods is the way to go. I want my family to eat fresher and healthier foods, but my husband is extremely picky about his food. In fact he only eats pizza and the occasional Big Mac. I’ve been married only a year now and have gained 20 lbs! I think it’s because I consume too much pizza and fast food. If I cook, I know he will not eat it, and so I usually eat what he orders. Any suggestions? How can I cook for us?

And then, almost as if by magic, another reader wrote in a wonderful answer to the dilemma faced by Reader #1:

Two years ago, I decided that I was in need of really looking at myself and my health. I felt like I was standing on the precipice of disease, and my sister had already started on the road to better health. Most people would have said that I was perfectly healthy, but I could tell that things were not great inside of me. After figuring some things out, I have ended up losing 25 pounds. I exercise every day and eat only real food. I feel much better, although I am still a bit tired, but that may be from my four children.

I didn’t think I could make a dent in my family, but two years later, by cooking delicious, fresh foods, my children now refuse to eat macaroni and cheese, top ramen, fast food, soda pop, white bread, and most processed foods. They still do like to eat ice cream, candy, and pizza (although we only eat my homemade pizza), but they don’t eat this as often as they used to, and they will only eat these foods if they consider them “quality.”

Although they are still a family in process, their food choices have improved radically. They also wonder why so many of their friends’ families eat packaged foods that they know are unhealthy. Sometimes they will come home hungry after babysitting or being with their friends because the food choices were less than desirable.

The answers exist, and they are worth seeking. When you find them, they are worth living.

My first Habit of Highly Healthy Humans is this: Highly Healthy Humans eat real food—and in my previous article I went into detail about where you can find it.

But eating real food is only the beginning, and this article’s focus, Habit #2, on becoming a Highly Healthy Human is a continuation of the concept. Before I share it with you, it is important that you recognize this key principle: Highly Healthy Humans’ bodies tell them when they are hungry, and they stop eating when they are no longer hungry (pay close attention to that phrase in bold print: it’s VERY important!) They savor each bite — in fact, they savor each chew — and they chew each bite thoroughly until it is nearly a liquid state before they swallow. They relax while they are eating.

They avoid pressures and schedules that would rush them during eating hours.

Here’s an interesting, and seemingly small differentiation between what I just shared with you and what is commonplace in today’s philosophies. Most diet or eating philosophies will tell you to stop eating when you are full. Sure, some will say that you should eat slowly and put your fork down in between bites and wait a while between bites — all of which are quite good philosophies!

But nowhere recently have I read anything that tells you to stop eating when you are no longer hungry — an observation that requires you to listen carefully to what your body is telling you. So not only what you eat, but how you eat, is critical to being a Highly Healthy Human.

Lest you find yourself holding your breath far too long in anticipation, I’m ready to share Healthy Habit #2 with you:

Healthy people use nutritional supplements , recognizing that in today’s environment it is unlikely that they can obtain all the nutrients necessary for optimum health, even when eating the best of food.

In order to help you figure out what supplements will be the most beneficial for you, I have compiled a list. Keep in mind that my list may not include all of the vitamins, minerals, oils and so forth that would help you individually in your situation. Each of us, although we are all humans, has our own unique set of emotions, experiences, and body composition.

However, there are some general supplements that everyone would do well to be taking on a regular basis. If you have a physician with a healthy habit kind of philosophy, ask your physician if there are additional items that you should be taking for your unique situation.

Many of you have asked me my opinion about supplements. My personal philosophy is that everyone should be taking a multivitamin that is more than “one per day.” Most high quality vitamins need to be taken in amounts of 2-8 per day. Otherwise, the size of your supplement tablets would be about the size you would feed a horse!

Additionally, the body needs essential fatty acids, including the parent compounds of the omega 3 and omega 6 oils, linoleic and linolenic acid, that can be found in flaxseed oil. Fish oils are good breakdown oils in the omega 3 category of oils.

There is a seemingly endless barrage of potential supplements that one can take, but these are the basics. If I were to choose two more, I would add extra vitamin C and magnesium to the regimen. After that, supplements should be taken based upon individual needs.

So in a nutshell, here is the list of supplements that I recommend EVERY adult should take on a daily basis:

1. A multivitamin (this should be more than once a day), 2-6 per day
2. Omega 3 oil
3. Omega 6 oil: flaxseed oil works best, containing both Omega 3 and Omega 6 oils
4. Vitamin C: I have a personal bias in favor of Vitamin C, and like to see my patients taking 1-4 grams per day
5. Magnesium: check to see if your multivitamin has between 400-500 mg/ day total; if not, then supplement with extra magnesium.

That’s it for basics.

In my next article, I’m going to share with you a most compelling Highly Healthy Habit. It’s something everyone can do, no matter what their circumstances. It may be the hardest thing you do, but it will be the most gratifying. If you can’t bear the suspense, check it out and you’ll find it while exploring my website. And, by the way, while you’re here, share a healthy recipe with all of us! Until then …