Risk of Eating Unhealthy
As a teen, most of us do not even care if we are eating right, or begin to understand the implications of poor eating habits. As we age, however, we do begin to notice the effects of improper exercise, poor eating habits, and how they affect our health. Today, as the baby boomers begin their retirement years, health concerns and questions are on the rise. These aging boomers are more concerned than any previous generations about their good health, their ability to keep their good health, and how their diet affects their health.
You do not have to be a doctor to understand the relationship between too much consumption of food and health disorders. You simply have to look around at a nation approaching an obesity epidemic to understand what happens when you over consume in general. One a smaller scale we wonder about the over consumption of just certain kinds of foods? What happens when you overdo in the sweet department?
There are all kinds of health issues related to over consumption of sugar. Diabetes would be the number one health concern. But, diabetes is not the only ill effect from over consumption of sugar. Obesity, thyroid dysfunction, kidney malfunction, and intestinal problems can all be directly associated with too much sugar consumption.
What about too much alcohol? The ravaging effects of alcoholism are a continual struggle and medical expense to many companies and citizens in this country, and indeed the whole world. Lost youth, liver problems, brain deterioration, the speeding of other age-related diseases are all side affects of too much alcohol consumption.
Then, we can talk about the effects of too little food consumption. What happens when we do not consume what we need to maintain our health? Gum diseases, heart disease, muscle deterioration, vision loss, and anorexia occur when we do not get the necessary food our body needs.
Even when we can’t consume enough actual food, we can supplement the vitamins and minerals our bodies need in order to maintain some healthy functioning. You have only to walk down the aisle at your local supermarket to discover that there has been a vitamin revolution. Every possible vitamin and mineral needed by the body is available in capsule, pill, tablet, or powder form.
Once your body has reached the point of unhealthy functioning, or you have placed such a strain on your body from over consumption that one of the related diseases has taken hold, it’s almost impossible to correct one problem without creating another. Once you have become a diabetic, there are so many complications, that simply choosing to diet and exercise is no longer an option. The health concerns you now have far outweigh the easy solution of diet and exercise. Can you begin to see how important maintaining your health is to your quality of life? How important it is to the quality of your spouses’ and children’s’ lives? Your choices directly affect situations with their lives. You should make every effort to keep your health; don’t you owe it to your family, if not yourself?
A lot of people eat foods that are generally deficient in the vitamins and minerals. Visit
Nutritional Supplements Center to learn why it is vital that you take nutritional health supplements. You will also discover best nutritional supplements.
[tags]nutritional supplements, nutritional vitamin supplements, nutritional health supplements[/tags]
The Most Important Supplement You Can Take For Better Health
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.
[tags]nutritional supplements, supplements, multivitamin, multi vitamin, health supplements, vitamins[/tags]
Are the Health Supplements Safe
Health supplements are now a common addition to our diet and in many situations they are the only solution to our health problems. However the Internet is simply flooded by SPAM and pop-up advertisements promising a quick relief from various illnesses if only we take (put a name here) health diet supplement and they are treated more and more like some kind of wonder pills. On the other hand, the benefits and dangers of using them are more and more discussed among physicians. The use of various supplements in bodybuilding process and the dangers of abusing them do not help.
The point is that health supplement really do work, but not for everybody and certainly they’re not for every occasion.
Nutritional deficiencies
Basically dietary health supplements were originally developed to help people overcome their nutritional deficiencies. If, for any reason, an individual is unable to follow a balanced diet, health supplements help them to keep your organism intact. However in most cases when an individual eats healthy food (a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables. For example), health supplements are no longer needed and taking them will have only little effect (and not always a positive one).
Bodybuilding/fitness
Another common reason of taking health supplements is bodybuilding. When we want more than to be fit, the normal diet is not enough and we need to take something more serious if we hope to keep up the unhealthily quick pace of the muscles grow. That’s where the health supplements come. However as they are often taken without any medical knowledge (and they need to be taken in large quantities if they are to have a visible effect), their final effects may no longer be positive.
Conclusion
In short, health supplements are OK, but only as long as people use them for the reasons they were made for - to fight nutritional deficiencies. Bodybuilding or the general need of feeling healthy are not good reasons for taking those pills (even herbal ones). Our body is a delicate mechanism and we shouldn’t tinker in it too much without a serious reason.
Joanne Wright is a certified nutritionist specializing in proper use of nutritional supplements. She maintains an informational website on vitamins and their usage.
http://www.ahealthiersolution.com
[tags]Health, nutrition, health supplements, nutritional supplements[/tags]
Three Problems of Supplements Today
1.Most of the supplements available on the market today are found to have poor bioavailability. To ensure that the body benefits from the supplement, the active ingredients of the supplements need to be absorbed into the blood stream and reach the organs so that they can do their job.
There are few
ways nutrients can get into the blood stream: injection, via the lining of the walls of upper
intestine and colon. When you consume a supplement, it reaches the stomach and active ingredients are
released. The environment of the stomach is very acidic (ph1.0-3.5). At this stage, majority of the
active ingredients are destroyed by the stomach acids. Some may not be damaged but most are almost
severely affected. As a result, only about 10% of active ingredients manage the absorption process and
enter the blood stream. Some poor quality supplements may even pass through the body with no
absorption at all!
Poor bioavailability of supplements is very common issue in supplements industry today. Unfortunately
very few companies have the know-how knowledge and technology to incorporate the delivery technology
into the supplements.
2.Many supplements are contaminated with metals, unlabeled prescription drugs, microorganisms,
or other substances. In U.S., dietary supplements are regulated by FDA (Food and Drugs Administration)
as foods. The government is not responsible for the safety and effectiveness of the supplements. It’s
the supplements manufacturers’ responsibility to ensure the effectiveness, safety, potency and
efficacy of the products. Many manufacturers took for granted. Most supplements today are produced in
less than optimal environment. As a result, the products are contaminated with leads, metals,
chemicals, bugs, and other substances.
Following are just few reported cases:
- FDA warns consumers that Actra-Rx(dietary supplements for sexual enhancement) undeclared
prescription drug ingredient. - 2 out of 21 magnesium products are found to have lead in a study conducted by independent body,
Consumerlab.com. - Several popular nutritional supplements are found to be contaminated with steroid.
3.Many supplements have false claims and inaccurate labels. Because dietary supplements are loosely regulated, there is no pressure to ensure the accuracy of the labels of the products. This means that you may be taking less, or more of the ingredients stated on the labels. In addition, there are products that promise to cure diseases and wide spectrum of health problems. Most of these claims are rather questionable, for example:
- A product called “Sea Silver” said their product have 98% bioavailability because liquid can
bypass the digestive system. As mentioned earlier, the only way for liquid to bypass the digestive
system is through injection, not drinking - Barefoot coral calcium supplements is said to be able to ‘neutralize’ the toxic acidity of
blood. The truth is, calcium supplements can only change the acidity of body fluids
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Yi Lai is editor of http://www.health-supplements101.com: How to choose the most potent supplements for your health. Contact her at http://www.health-supplements101.com/archive.htm
[tags]Supplements,Supplements caution,dietary supplements,nutritional supplements, health supplements[/tags]
Nutritional Supplements The Amazing Benefits of Vitamin E
The real benefits of Vitamin E may surprise you. First of all, what is Vitamin E? Vitamin E is not one nutrient but actually a group of eight nutrients known as tocopherols and tocotrienols. Each one of these groups is further broken down into alpha, beta, gamma and delta.
Alpha-tocopherol is the most active and common form. This is the form most often found in vitamin supplements. This is also the only form of Vitamin E given an RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance). Folks who eat lots of fruits and vegetables and not much fat in their diet, probably don’t get their RDA of alpha-tocopherol. Although alpha-tocopherol is the only Vitamin E component given an RDA, Gamma tocopherol is an important component as well.
Vitamin E is an oil soluble vitamin and is stored by your body.
Benefits of Vitamin E and What It Does For You
What does Vitamin E do? Vitamin E acts as what’s called an antioxidant. If you’ve read the section of my site on Health Supplements, you’ve no doubt read about what an antioxidant does. If not we can review quickly.
The cells of your body are under a lot of stress… oxidative stress. Oxidative stress occurs when highly unstable molecules called free radicals roam freely throughout your body. Free radicals are a by-product of not only the normal metabolic processes of your cells but also your environment. Things such as air pollution, sun exposure, ozone, nitrous oxide (from auto exhaust), cigarette smoke, alcohol consumption and so on.
Free radicals damage cell membranes and can result in changes to your cells that cause chronic diseases down the road. When your cells are being damaged by these free radicals, we say your cells are experiencing oxidative stress… and one of the benefits of Vitamin E is that it is an antioxidant and can significantly neutralize the free radicals that cause oxidative stress.
Benefits of Vitamin E and Heart Disease
Does Vitamin E aid in the prevention of heart disease? Well, the jury’s still out on this one. Theoretically, the benefits of Vitamin E and its ability to significantly reduce the progression of atherosclerotic plaque (buildup on the inside of your artery walls), says yes, without a doubt.
An article in the Journal of the American Medical Association says so also. Using angiography, a correlation was found between taking Vitamin E supplements and a reduction in coronary artery atherosclerosis. Remember the above benefits of Vitamin E and how Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant? Well this is the same mechanism.
As Jeffrey Blumberg, Ph.D., F.A.C.N. of Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts states “… surveys of over 200,000 people in different communities around the world have provided compelling evidence that diets high in vitamin E and/or use of vitamin E supplements reduce the risk of heart disease.”
Dr. Blumberg stresses the importance of making the distinction between what he calls primary and secondary prevention. Primary prevention focuses on groups of healthy people and testing for new heart disease against different levels of Vitamin E intake over many years. Secondary prevention is taking groups of folks with existing heart disease and testing for a short duration using Vitamin E supplements along with placebos.
It is felt that the results of some secondary trials (the ones that claim no beneficial relationship between Vitamin E and heart disease) may be skewed by other factors in these heart patients such as smoking and diabetes. Also the drugs that these folks are taking along with the Vitamin E supplements could also affect the outcome of the research.
Concerning the benefits of Vitamin E, Dr. Blumberg goes on to state, “In thinking about the value of vitamin E supplementation, particularly in primary prevention, it is important to appreciate not only its potential benefit in heart disease but also in a variety of other chronic diseases associated with oxidative stress, including age-related macular degeneration, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, cataract, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and rheumatoid arthritis.”
Two other studies were reported on in the New England Journal of Medicine, the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. These two studies followed thousands of women and men. The researchers found a significant reduction in heart disease of the folks taking Vitamin E supplements.
Benefits of Vitamin E and Alzheimer’s
Can Vitamin E help cut your risk of developing Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia? New studies seem to suggest so. A recent report found in the Archives of Neurology showed that vitamin E taken together with Vitamin C had significant benefits.
The study’s author, Peter Zandi PhD with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health stated, “These results are extremely exciting. Our findings suggest that vitamins E and C may offer protection against Alzheimer’s disease when taken together in the higher doses available from individual supplements.”
Another study also in the Archives of Neurology found that Vitamin E intake may slow the progression of cognitive decline as we grow older.
How does Vitamin E do this? Well, remember some of the benefits of Vitamin E cited above and how Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant? It is widely accepted that oxidative stress plays a role in the bringing about Alzheimer’s. And by its antioxidant properties, Vitamin E is able to reduce this oxidative stress to the cells of your brain.
More Benefits of Vitamin E
Because of Vitamin E’s antioxidant properties, it has been shown effective in helping treat osteoarthritis. Vitamin E has also shown to be helpful in preventing the formation of cataracts in your eyes. And it might also help in protecting your eyes against ARMD (age related macular degeneration) as you get older. ARMD is the major cause of blindness in the U.S.
In folks with diabetes, Vitamin E and other antioxidants have been effective in controlling blood sugar levels. There has also been found to be a relationship between low levels of Vitamin E and an increased risk of getting diabetes.
Vitamin E has also been found to reduce hot flashes for women going through menopause. And for male smokers, it has been shown to reduce the risk of prostate cancer.
Is Vitamin E Safe
A recent article appearing in the Council for Responsible Nutrition stated that Vitamin E is safe for folks in the general population at doses up to 1600 IU daily. With most of the daily doses you’ll find out there being in the 200 - 400 IU range there should be no concern.
You can learn much more than just the facts about Vitamin E at our content rich site called Health Supplements Advisor.
[tags]nutritional supplements, dietary supplements, vitamins, health supplements, vitamin e[/tags]
Eat Healthy Without Meat
As concerns about healthy eating have grown, so has the interest in vegetarianism. Numerous nutrition experts recommend eating low on the food chain. In plain language this means eating more grains, vegetables and fruits, and fewer meats, cheeses and other animal based products.
There are various levels of vegetarianism, and each type has its own unique health benefits and some health challenges as well. Of course vegetarians, like meat eaters, must still make healthy food choices. Simply pigging out on French fries while avoiding the burger will not make you a healthy vegetarian.
Some people who consider themselves vegetarians still eat poultry and seafood, while others avoid all animal flesh, even fish and chicken. Most vegetarians still eat milk, dairy products and eggs. In nutritional circles these people are referred to as lacto-ovo vegetarians.
Vegans, on the other hand, avoid all animal products, including eggs, milk and dairy products, and even fabrics like silk, leather and wool. It is vegans who face the largest challenges and risks when trying to follow a healthy diet. Most vegetarian diets provide more than enough nutrition, as long as smart dietary choices are made.
The key to eating a healthy vegetarian diet is much the same as eating a healthy diet that includes meat. It all boils down to making smart food choices, understanding nutritional labels, and cooking your vegetables to maximize their nutritional value.
Choosing the foods that make up the bulk of a vegetarian diet is very important. For most vegetarians, vegetables, grains, lentils and soy products will make up the bulk of their diet, and these staples are included in many vegetarian recipes.
When cooking with soy, however, it is important to remember that tofu is relatively high in fat. The fat content of tofu dishes is often comparable to that of dishes that are made with lean cuts of meat. Those vegetarians following a low fat diet may want to limit the amount of tofu based products they eat.
The same caution applies to the nuts and seeds that can make up a large part of a vegetarian diet. Nuts and seeds are excellent sources of dietary protein, but they can be high in fat as well.
Many newly minted vegetarians worry that they will not be able to get enough protein and iron without eating meat, but for most vegetarians this is not a problem. Most diets today actually contain too much protein, and there are many non animal derived sources of protein for vegetarians to enjoy.
Proper cooking techniques are of course very important to any healthy diet. Avoiding high fat cooking methods is important, as is avoiding the use of high fat creams, butters and sauces. A vegetable stir fry cooked in healthy olive oil can be a great addition to any vegetarian menu. And a great fruit salad is both easy to make and delicious as a snack or a meal.
The only real area of concern when it comes to vegetarianism and health is the B-complex vitamins, particularly vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 is almost exclusively derived from animal based sources, so vegans, who avoid all animal products, should take a high quality vitamin B12 or B-complex vitamin supplement. It is also important for vegans to discuss their diet and lifestyle with their family physicians. As vegetarianism becomes more widespread, the amount of information on the nutritional needs of these two groups continues to grow.
The bottom line is that vegetarians can enjoy a very healthy lifestyle. Making vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans the centerpiece of the diet is a smart move for many people, and a good low fat vegetarian diet can be a great way to enjoy a healthy lifestyle. As with a meat based diet, however, it is important for vegetarians to follow common sense eating guidelines and make smart choices when creating meat free meals.
A lot of people eat foods that are generally deficient in the vitamins and minerals. Visit
Nutritional Supplements Center to learn why it is vital that you take nutritional health supplements. You will also discover best nutritional supplements.
[tags]nutritional supplements, nutritional vitamin supplements, nutritional health supplements[/tags]
