Within nutritional deficiency can be found excess. Unfortunately for a lot of Americans, our excess comes in the form of fats, sugars, highly refined products and a general lack of good nutrients. Only about a third of Americans eat foods from all the food groups on a regular basis.

We fill our plates with rich, greasy fried and fatty foods, sweets for dessert, and wash it all down with sugary and chemical-laden soft drinks or booze, while puffing on an after-dinner tobacco product. In this meal plan, where are the essential vitamins and minerals that are needed by our bodies in order to function properly and keep diseases at bay?

Therein lies the problem: with this much excess, our bodies go into overload and malfunction, resulting in deterioration of our interior systems. We become a sick organism rather than one that exudes vibrancy.

With excess comes health issues: arteries clog, blood pressure levels elevate, constipation develops, weight gets added to our frames. Not a pretty picture, is it? These issues can lead to medical interventions in the form of drugs and surgeries. We eat extremely wrong foods that do not supply nutrition, which causes extremely unhealthy medical conditions, which leads to extreme medical measures to try to clean up all of the damage.

Before it gets to the point of having as your only option such drastic measures as pills and surgery, try some softer remedies now. For excess, the main remedy is cleansing and purging. Bitter foods and herbs are used for this purpose. Foods such as legumes and grains, and vegetables such as radishes, horseradish, hot peppers, onions, leafy greens, mushrooms, asparagus, bell peppers, and celery, and some fruits such as citrus and bananas, can accomplish this cleansing. Eating these foods raw or lightly cooked is the most effective. For herbs, Echinacea and chamomile can contribute to the cleansing process. These herbs can be used as teas. For purging, add generous amounts of fruit to your diet and drink at least eight glasses of water a day. Most importantly, remove the causes of excess from your daily meal plan!

When excess has led to deficiency, you need to work in building with the cleansing, a process that takes a little time, but the reward is strength, stamina, and energy. If you feel run down, lethargic and just generally not your self, you are in the zone of deficiency. To climb out of it, incorporate less bitter foods after using them to cleanse in exchange for foods such as brown rice, oats, millet, barley, soy, black beans, parsnips, rutabagas, winter squash, and add in nuts and seeds in moderation. For building strength, try sweet foods such as dates, yams, and molasses.

While the capability is in your hands, take the initiative by taking the measures needed to turn your plate around. Get rid of non-nutrient foods they are not a friend to your body. Get acquainted with and embrace nutrient rich foods they are like family to your internal organs.