Diet Information

In parts one and two of this series, titled “Take Back Your Life” and “Take Back Your Life 2″; we discussed the importance of proper cell function and the necessity of having and maintaining a balanced endocrine system as they relate to wellness. Here in part 3, we shall examine why vitamins and minerals, including certain trace minerals are absolutely necessary to further insure and maintain a state of wellness and optimum health.

Fresh foods have, in the past, been the main source that provided vitamins and minerals essential to the properly functioning, healthy human body. These nutrients, naturally occurring in some fresh fruits and vegetables, can and have, in the past given our bodies what was needed for health and vitality. Today, however, because of modern farming, harvesting, storage, and food processing methods, our formally nutrient rich food sources contain lower levels of some vitamins and minerals for supporting and maintaining good health. We still need to eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables in our daily food consumption, but we also need to complement that dietary habit with adequate, high quality, food formed vitamin and mineral supplements in order to insure that our healthy, active lifestyles which include proper diet and exercise are contributing to the desired state of optimal health.

Today, nutritionists remind us that we need to eat 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables including a healthy balance of dairy products, lean meats, and whole grains. But with modern methods of processing whereby our foods are boiled, microwaved, canned, frozen, refined, pasteurized, and laced with additives intended to help preserve them, our fresh fruits and vegetables are lower in vitamins and minerals today than they were even 30 years ago. One example from a recent study reported that two peaches would have supplied the current RDA of vitamin A for adult women in 1951. Today, a woman would have to eat almost 53 peaches to meet her daily requirements! These losses are due, primarily to the fact that food science has focused on the issues of mass production, visual appearance, and physical features that motivate people to buy rather than nutrient content. The average fruit or vegetable travels 1,500 to 2,500 miles from the farm to your plate. They are grown, harvested, stored, and handled with this in mind as priority of waste and product loss before being sold, trump any concerns for nutrient content and health benefits. There are extensive losses of many important nutrients during all stages of food production as our foods move from the farms to our tables to be eaten. Therefore we must supplement our diets with high quality food formed vitamins and minerals in order to achieve the health benefits that we desire.

Health is defined in Stedman’s medical dictionary as a state of normal functioning without evidence of disease or abnormality. That means feeling good, being symptom free, having all organ systems apparently functioning normally, no evidence of disease, and enough energy to do what we want to do. The lifestyle choices that we make are contributing factors in the quest for optimal health. Choices can be made that will have a major impact on our health. These choices include lifestyle, diet and nutrition. This is why it is highly recommended that we exercise, eat well, and supplement wisely. To be included in our diets are certain fruits and vegetables that help our bodies fend off disease. Amounts recommended include eating 5 to 9 varied servings of fruits and vegetables every day. It is further recommended that these food servings include cruciferous vegetables, citrus fruit, dark leafy vegetables and yellow/orange/red vegetables with three different colors per day. The vast majority of people in Western countries do not eat like this, which leads to poor health and desperate disease states. This being the case, if we will not eat the ideal diet, for whatever reason, it becomes absolutely necessary that we supplement our diets, with whole food based supplements. Isolated synthetics will not do the trick. Food formed vitamins and minerals as close to that found in Nature are best.

“Vita”, the Latin word for “life”, is the root of “vitamin”, the name given to certain nutrients identified as essential to life. Certain minerals have also been shown to be vitally important to human health. Vitamins and minerals are micronutrients that work together with enzymes to facilitate the chemical reactions involved in virtually every process in the body. Shortage of necessary vitamins or minerals can block critical functions. A certain level of intake of specific vitamins and minerals is required for optimal health. Micronutrient deficiencies in the diets of many people, I believe, contribute to many of our disease conditions that exist today. And because of this widely held association, I cannot think of anyone who would not benefit from this type of supplementation to their daily diet. Daily supplementation is certainly very important to help avoid the risks to our health that are associated with poor diet. But, be careful! Not all vitamin and mineral supplements are created equal. There are vast differences between brands. Experts have learned that taking too much of certain vitamins is not healthy and can actually cause health problems. Ratios of one ingredient to another can also make a significant difference in how well any vitamin product will work. Be sure to get a comprehensive multivitamin and mineral supplement that is formulated to give you what you need and that is food formed so that your body may recognize and utilize these beneficial nutrients. And above all else remember to drink plenty of pure, enhanced water, move your body, eat well, and supplement wisely so that you can take back your life.

To read more about why Steve is so passionate about moving toward wellness and how you can head that way through a healthy lifestyle, that includes proper vitamin and mineral support supplementation, visit http://steve.myglycostore.com/go/glycentials

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Vitamin B5, also known as pantothenic acid is useful to the body through many ways. It is a member of the nutritionally elite group of eight vitamins collectively known as the Vitamin B complex. This powerful group of vitamins plays a big role nearly in almost every major body system and process. The Vitamin B complex serves to keep both body and mind functioning and to be perpetually in good health.

Vitamin B5 like all of the vitamins that make up the B complex is essential to the body’s ability to use the food that it takes in as fuel for it to able to perform the various tasks that it has lined-up every single day, great and small. It works in the regular maintenance and repair of all bodily tissues from the cellular level up. This makes it an essential part of the body’s efforts to fight the physical damage that excessive stress can cause us to have.

Vitamin B5 serves many important functions in the nervous system especially in terms of nerve function and health. Among the contributions that Vitamin B5 makes to the nervous system is the production of neurotransmitters which are important to the ability of the nerves to communicate properly and effectively.

Because of its important role in the growth and health of the hair and our high regard towards having healthy skin it is used frequently in a variety of cosmetic products. Vitamin B5 acting as a cofactor to other members of the Vitamin B complex and other nutrients has an important role in how the adrenal glands properly functions and also serves to promote normal growth of the body due to its big role in hormone production throughout the body.

Deficiency in Vitamin B5 can have a variety of negative consequences for the body as well as in one’s mind. Symptoms of physical malfunctions brought about by lack of Vitamin B5 include fatigue, headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, weakened immune system, abdominal pain, neurological disorders, muscle weakness and cramps, increased insulin sensitivity, acne, digestive problems and slow or retarded growth.

Symptoms of a break down in a person’s mental capabilities which can be brought about from a lack of Vitamin B5 include depression, personality disorders and change, sleep disturbances and insomnia - which if not attended to immediately and cured, can actually pose as a bigger problem since insomnia can actually cause far greater problems to a person who is already suffering from poor mental health. In general adults should have about 5mg of Vitamin B5 per day with women increasing their daily intake to 6mg to 7mg while they’re pregnant or breastfeeding. Children, depending on their size and weight should have about 2mg to 4mg of Vitamin B5 each day.

The importance of the Vitamin B complex to good physical health and proper mental functioning needs to be taught better to people so as to be able to educate them of what they’ve been neglecting for so long. For a person to be able to fully utilize not only his physical capabilities but the power of his or her own mind as well, including cognitive functions and emotional responses and stability the standard recommended daily intake levels of these vitamins should be met every single day. Because these are water-soluble vitamins they are washed away daily with the urine and thus the body’s supply of these essential nutrients must be renewed daily.

Nutritional supplements are a reliable and safe way to meet these important nutritional goals provided that proper attention is given to the accepted limits of dosage. Too much of any nutrient can be toxic and can often cause as much damage as having too little. The body is a delicately balanced system and that balance requires to be maintained to function at its best.

Note: This article may be freely reproduced as long as the AUTHOR’S resource box at the bottom of this article is included and and all links must be Active/Linkable with no syntax changes.

Charlene J. Nuble 2005. For up to date links and information about Vitamins, please go to: http://vitamins.besthealthlink.net/ or for updated links and information on all health related topics, go to: http://www.besthealthlink.net/

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This article will reveal one easy change you can make that will help better your health…

It’s absolutely crucial that your body gets the nutrients it needs to function effectively and efficiently. The daily stress of pollution, fatty and processed food and stress deplete your body of nutrients and it’s up to you to replace these nutrients. You can do this through healthy nutrition, or even better, through healthy nutrition and quality nutritional supplements.

For the average person, it’s difficult to get the proper amount of nutrients needed from food alone. Even the healthiest of eaters might not be getting the recommended amount of vitamins and minerals. This is because it’s hard to judge exactly how many nutrients you are getting from the food you are eating, not to mention certain forms of cooking actually destroys the vitamins and minerals in the food.

The best thing you can do for your body is to eat a balanced diet and supplement it with a quality multivitamin. You’ll get some of the nutrients your body needs from the food and then back it up with a multivitamin for a very effective one-two punch.

There are five forms of mulivitamins you can buy: capsule, tablet, softgel, powder and liquid. Avoid tablets at all costs because they are the hardest for your body to breakdown and absorb. Liquid multivitamins are the easiest for your body to absorb because there’s nothing for your body to breakdown. Both capsules and softgels, and powders, are also good forms of multivitamins in reference to absorption rate.

So which multivitamins are good ones to buy? Generally speaking, you get what you pay for. The cheap supermarket multivitamins are inexpensive but can’t compare to a quality, more expensive multivitamin. Your best bet is to decide how much you can afford to spend and then do research on the Internet for the multivitamins that fall within your price range.

Multivitamins are probably the single most important supplement you can take. If you aren’t taking one, you really should consider doing so. Combine this with good nutrition and a solid exercise routine and you’ll be amazed at how great you look and feel!

Ryan Cote is the owner of http://www.SimpleHealth123.com, a leading health and wellness resource. Come visit and download his free health and wellness e-mail course, 4 Days to Better Health.

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