Newsletter No. 24 – March 2005 Item 1

Increasingly Nutrition is the being recognised as the cause and the treatment of many health problems today.   Despite this many still argue that nutrition is not the primary cause of the majority of ostrich diseases and rearing problems today.   We need a sustainable supply of slaughter birds to have an industry – No Raw Material, No Industry.

We all know the US to be an advanced nation, with a population sufficiently wealthy that there is no need to show symptoms of malnutrition.  Yet the health of the nation has progressively deteriorated over the past few decades, just as it has here in the UK and other more affluent countries.  This has come about through many eating the wrong things.  Here in England we are being warned that for the first time the life expectancy of our children is lower than that of their parents.

The introduction of the 2005 USDA Dietary guide lines (for humans), published in January acknowledges that it is essential to change the way the majority are currently eating:

Quote:
The more we learn about nutrition and exercise, the more we recognize their importance in everyday life. Children need a healthy diet for normal growth and development, and Americans of all ages may reduce their risk of chronic disease by adopting a nutritious diet and engaging in regular physical activity.
 
However, putting this knowledge into practice is difficult. More than 90 million Americans are affected by chronic diseases and conditions that compromise their quality of life and well-being. Overweight and obesity, which are risk factors for diabetes and other chronic diseases, are more common than ever before. To correct this problem, many Americans must make significant changes in their eating habits and lifestyles.
end quote
[source:  The 2005 USDA Dietary Guidelines]

The vast majority of the problems relating to ostrich diseases and production difficulties today are proven to be dietary related and the solutions are known.