February 18, 2009 at 3:44 pm · Filed under Health, Nutrition
It’s common knowledge that ideally, for optimum health, people should eat a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables. But the reality is that most people fall short of that ideal, leaving them with a diet that is severely lacking in essential vitamins and minerals. Luckily, there are ways to compensate for a less-than-perfect diet. Vitamin and mineral supplements are a great way to fill the gaps left by your diet, or to provide a potential boost in the vitality and health of anyone.
Most dieticians and doctors will agree that it’s best to consume most of your vitamins through the foods you eat rather than through a pill. One reason for this is that vitamins in healthy foods work in conjunction with other elements in the food that are not found in supplements alone. In other words, the combined effect of the vitamins with other nutrients hold a stronger punch than vitamin supplements alone. But that’s not to say that supplements hold no value, of course.
In certain groups, in fact, vitamin supplements are imperative. It is recommended that all pregnant women, for example, consume folic acid supplements regardless of their diet to help prevent debilitating birth defects like spina bifida. Doctors also suggest that dark skinned people and people lacking regular sunlight should take vitamin D supplements. Senior citizens should take B12 complexes, and the list goes on and on.
While their potential to improve health is great, too much of a good thing can be wasteful at best, dangerous at worst. Certain supplements, like vitamins E and A for example, can be toxic in high doses so care must be taken to keep track of your supplement regimen.
While there are still naysayers who dispute the benefit of taking vitamin supplements when the diet is balanced, the fact is that when taken in appropriate doses, vitamin supplements carry little true risks, yet offer great potential benefits, such as reduced risk of cancer and heart disease.
August 8, 2008 at 10:22 pm · Filed under Nutrition
The two most weight gaining habits that are making your belly look like jelly are snacking on high-sugar, high-carb foods late at night and drinking alcohol. There are a few solutions that can improve your health and make you leaner.
You should first make sure you eat enough during the day and at 3-4 hour intervals. This enables your body to burn fat all day, keep your metabolism at a steady rate and provides your body with nutrients all day. This will also prevent you from binging or being hungry at night. You should stop eating at least 3 hours before you go to bed because your metabolism slows down at night, leaving your late-night snacks as unburned calories and stored as fat.
You should avoid eating foods with a high-glycemic carbohydrate index. High- glycemic carbs increase blood sugar and increases your risk of diabetes and heart disease. You should avoid eating high-glycemic snacks such as ice cream, potato chips, and cookies. You should replace them with low-glycemic index carbs such as fruits and vegetables. A great idea for a healthy snack that is full of protein is a smoothie. Smoothies are often made from real fruit juice and rarely have added sugar.
If you’re on the path of trying to lose weight, you should say no to alcohol. Alcohol is full of calories and slows down your metabolism. When alcohol is ingested, it passes through the stomach and intestines, into the bloodstream, then into the liver. In the liver, it is converted into acetaldehyde, which is then converted into acetate. Because acetate is readily bio-available, your body will burn it first, instead of carbs, protein, or fat. If you do choose to have a drink, you should have it with food to slow down its absorption rate and protect the lining of the stomach and small intestine.
The next time you’re having bad-for-you food craving, pass up the donuts and go for something like a healthy smoothie. You can improve your health and lose weight today by making these simple changes to your lifestyle.