Tag: food

  • Key to Good Health Tips

    Key to Good Health Tips

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    So many a times in life, people misuse their bodies trying to fulfill a dream. They eat whatever they find around, they are too busy to schedule period of time to drink enough water or engage in enough physical activities. They hardly find time for relaxation and they are continuously stressed. They outspend their bodies to fulfill their dreams. They may succeed, feeling fulfilled for a while and applauded by the whole world but their bodies may collapse earlier than they can imagine and hence not able or available to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

    Health is a state of social, physical, and mental well being, not just the absence of disease and this is what God is interested in. you should not just be basking in the euphoria of not lying down in the hospital bed or hoping that anytime sickness knocks at your door you should be able to withstand.

    Some people think they don’t need to do anything about their health because they felt their physical, mental and social state of health is okay. Whatever your state of health is you need to play your part to continue enjoying good health.

    There are laws and natural laws of health you need to obey. Some of these laws include:

    Law of knowledge: Don’t despise knowledge even if you think you don’t need it now. You can store it as a wise man. A lot of people despise knowledge in different aspects of their lives and get into trouble. Whatever is judge to be right by nature should not be despised. For instance, several researches have shown that certain foods, stressful lifestyle and physical inactivity are associated with non communicable diseases. It will be suicidal for a person to be consuming excessive amount of such foods, not exercising at all and living a stressful life continuously in the name of having faith for good health. Such attitude is not faith but rather foolishness.

    Law of nourishment: The cells that make up every organ in your body are formed from the food you eat; therefore you should eat proper food (health diet) if you want these cells and hence your body to be healthy.

    You should eat from all the basic food groups including fruits and vegetables every day. You need five servings of fruits and vegetables. Avoid excess sugar, salt, fat (including meat) and calories.

    Law of Hydration: Drink at least 8 glasses of water daily and don’t wait till you are thirsty. Spread it round the hours of the day; don’t drink too much at a time

    Physical Activity: You should engage in exercise (including walking) for at least 30 minutes per day for 5 days a week. Moreover, learn to move around generally rather than sit in one place. It improves all the systems in your body and prevents various chronic diseases. If your weight is above normal you need more exercise to burn the fat.

    Adequate Rest and Relaxation: An average person needs about 8 hours sleep and rest daily. Strive to move near it even if you can’t get eight hours daily. Make sure you rest one day a week and at least four weeks annually away from your usual activities.

    Avoid Overwork: Plan your life in such a way that you can be doing less and earning more. Learn to relax, take time to laugh and do other things you enjoy for some time daily. Form and retain healthy relationships, avoid the ones that stress you.

    Other measures of ensuring good health include personal and environmental hygiene, exposure to sunshine, detoxification, avoidance of tobacco and alcohol, avoid indiscriminate sex, go for regular check up and prompt treatment.

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    Source by Aikoye Victor

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  • Sick and Tired in America: Waiting for a Cure

    Sick and Tired in America: Waiting for a Cure

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    The Mayo Clinic, recently reported that only 3% of Americans lead a healthy lifestyle that includes adequate exercise, diet, and effective stress management. Shockingly, the most advanced medical care system in the world has not been able to safeguard its citizens health. Up to 60% of the U.S. population suffer from chronic, debilitating health problems such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, high blood pressures, stroke, COPD, immune disorders, mental health problems, and addictions.

    If you are poor or live in disadvantaged or minority neighborhoods, your health status and resources are much worse. This trend is also effecting younger generations who are developing chronic health problems earlier in life.

    Symptoms vs Causes

    Traditional medicine primarily targets the physical symptoms of disease with expensive, high-tech diagnostic tests, medicine, and surgery. However, increasing evidence implicates lifestyle and environmental toxins among the fundamental causes of disease. The typical American leads a sedentary lifestyle often associated with passive pursuits such as dependence on computers at work and home. Pollutants in the water, food, and air contain toxic and carcinogenic compounds. Sugary drinks, processed foods containing sodium, artificial flavors, and preservatives are all cited as causes for health problems. Until we learn that the fundamental cause of disease is embedded in the way we live, Americans will be sick and tired and seeking a medical cure in vain.

    Improve Health and Immunity

    The scientific literature has identified eight key lifestyle changes associated with improved health and Immunity:

    1. Following an anti- inflammatory diet rich in fiber, fresh organically grown fruits, vegetables, nuts, fresh fish, vegetable proteins to reduce inflammation associated with chronic disease. Eliminating toxins associated with fatty, fried, and packaged foods, sugary drinks, smoking, and the excessive use of alcohol and addictive substances
    2. Supplementing with vitamins, minerals, and herbal medicines to compensate for deficiencies, support metabolism, and repair cellular damage.
    3. Hydrating: drinking 64 oz. of water daily including electrolytes to flush toxins from bladder and kidneys and carry nutrients to cells.
    4. Using probiotics to balance gut flora and counter the effects of toxins
    5. Exercising: aerobic training, strengthening, walking, stretching, yoga, Tai Chi, 3-5 x per week to increase stamina, strength, mobility, flexibility and balance.
    6. Meditating: 20 minutes daily and eight hours of sleep to modulate autonomic, metabolic, endocrine, psychological and immune functions.
    7. Cognitive Reprogramming: continuous monitoring and restructuring of negative thinking
    8. Developing social resources using your medical team, family, friends, and treatment groups to maximize social and emotional support.

    Research

    Research Results reported by the Cleveland Clinic’s 180 wellness program lists improved physical health, disease prevention, weight stabilization, improved energy, strength, endurance, immunity, improved mental health, stress management and mood stability as benefits of healthy lifestyle programming.

    Summary

    Traditional medicine primarily targets the physical symptoms of disease with diagnostic tests, medicine, and surgery. However, increasing evidence implicates lifestyle and environmental toxins as the fundamental causes of disease. Eight key lifestyle changes are discussed that have proven value in improving health and boosting immunity.

    * My Rx for Boosting Health and Immunity

    1. Diet: anti- inflammatory diet such as the Mediterranean diet
    2. Supplementation: daily multiple vitamin and a cellular protection formula
    3. Hydration: 60 oz. daily with electrolyte addition
    4. Probiotics: daily
    5. Exercise: aerobic and strengthening with weight training 40-60 minutes daily, and regular walking
    6. Meditation: 30 minutes daily to music using relaxation imagery auto- suggestion, and therapeutic affirmations.
    7. Cognitive Restructuring: identifying and challenging negative thinking, and reprogramming constructive alternatives
    8. Develop members social support resources including treatment team, family, friends.

    * Nothing in this article is intended as medical advice to the reader. No patient-doctor relationship is intended or implied. The reader is advised to work closely with his/her health providers when considering any/all health related interventions. The author disclaims any liability associated with any of the information contained in this article.

    Copyright © 2018 by James W. Siddall

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    Source by James W. Siddall, Ph.D

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  • B12 Vitamin Basics

    B12 Vitamin Basics

    The b12 vitamin is just one of the essential b vitamins that are needed to maintain a healthy body and mind. Cobalamin is the alternative name for the 12b vitamin. The body needs the b12 vitamin for a number of different processes including converting the fats, carbohydrates and proteins from all food that is consumed into energy. One of the most important processes that the b12 is essential for is to create healthy red blood cells. The prevention of heart disease relies on the production of healthy blood cells and therefore the b12 vitamin is vital. The b12 vitamin is also vital for keeping the immune system functioning at its maximum efficiency. Not only this, but the b12 vitamin also works to form the protective covering of all the nerve cells in the body.

    The production of red blood cells is not the only type of cells that the b12 vitamin is essential for. In fact, all of the cells in the body require the b12 vitamin, including white blood cells and nerve cells. The white blood cells are an important part of the immune system and without the b2 vitamin the effectiveness of the immunity of the body to germs and viruses is heavily reduced. The nerve cells need the b12 vitamin to create the fatty layer that will protect them from damage. The brain cells are particularly open to disease and damage if there is not enough b12 vitamin present to form this protective layer.

    Even though the b12 vitamin is involved in so many essential processes the actual recommended daily amount that a body needs is quite small. The fact is that the majority of people consume much more of the b12 vitamin than their body actually requires. The only issue is that the body cannot absorb the b12 vitamin very easily and has to create its own aid to the process. The intrinsic factor that the body produces helps the body to absorb the b12 vitamin that it needs from food but this still amounts to only half of the total b12 vitamin available. A deficiency in the b12 is extremely rare in most people and is made even less likely because the body can recycle the b12 vitamin that it already has absorbed.

    A few groups of people may develop anaemia due to a lack of b12 vitamin in their diet. Young children often have a problem getting enough of the b12 vitamin because they may be extremely fussy eaters and it is important to encourage them to eat as wide a variety of foods as possible. This is not only the case with the b12 vitamin but is true for all essential vitamins and minerals.

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  • An Overview of the B5 Vitamin

    An Overview of the B5 Vitamin

    The B5 vitamin is also known as Pantothenic Acid. The B5 vitamin is the most prolific of all the vitamins and is found in every type of food. In fact, it is impossible for a person to consume less B5 vitamin than they need. That means that there is no little possibility that a person can have a B5 vitamin deficiency. For this reason, there is actually no recommended daily amount that health professionals can state as everyone obtains more than enough from their normal food consumption. However, even though there is no need to calculate a recommended daily allowance it does not mean that the B5 vitamin is not vital for a healthy body and mind. In fact, the B5 vitamin is essential for turning food into energy amongst other functions. The B5 vitamin is responsible for taking the fats and carbohydrates into energy.

    Some B5 vitamin can be found in almost every food whether it is animal or vegetable. Obviously there are some sources of the B5 vitamin that are better than others but a balanced diet will provide more than enough. The foods with the highest B5 vitamin content are organ meats, salmon, eggs, beans, milk, and whole grains. It is worth noting that the B5 vitamin is lost when grains are milled into flour and tends not to beaded back in. Therefore, processed grain foods such as bread, pasta, rice, breakfast cereal, and baked goods are not good sources of the B5 vitamin.

    The B5 vitamin is the most effective when it is combined with other B vitamins especially thiamin or B1, riboflavin or B2, niacin or B3, pyridoxine or B6, and biotin. Along with these other B vitamins, the B5 vitamin is an integral part in a number of processes. The most important of these is the production of energy from food that is consumed and this is known as the Kreb’s cycle. The B5 vitamin is also required for releasing energy from fats.

    Interestingly, the B5 vitamin is also considered to be helpful in reducing stress. This is chiefly due to the fact that during periods of stress, the body produces more of certain hormones such as adrenalin and these require the B5 vitamin. There are many theories as to the benefits of the B5 vitamin but there is no need for the majority of people to actively seek out foods that are high in B5 as they are likely to be consuming far more than is needed already. There are no adverse effects to consuming too much B5 vitamin.

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  • The Different Types of B Vitamins

    The Different Types of B Vitamins

    There are a large number of B vitamins that are needed to keep all of the body functions performing properly. All of the B vitamins are essential for a number of different processes. Without sufficient B vitamins the blood supply would not be healthy and this leads to a variety of illnesses and diseases. The brain needs B vitamins to function correctly and the heart also needs B vitamins to stay healthy and prevent heart disease and food is broken down into the various nutrients by B vitamins. In fact, just about every organ and process within the body requires at least one form of the B vitamin.

    Thiamin, or B1, is the B vitamin that the body needs to keep all of its cells, especially the nerves, functioning correctly. It is especially important for memory and general mental health and is one of the B vitamins that is required to convert food into energy.

    Riboflavin, or B2, is the B vitamin that is essential for releasing the enrgy from food that has been consumed. Without this B vitamin the body cannot grow or develop properly as red blood cells will not be as healthy as they should be.

    Niacin, or B3, is the B vitamin that is involved in over fifty processes, ranging from detoxifying chemicals to making hormones and releasing energy from food.

    Pantothenic acid, or B5,works with several other B vitamins for a number of essential processes including breaking down fats, proteins, and carbohydrates into energy and is also the B vitamin that is needed to form vitamin D, a variety of hormones, and red blood cells.

    Pyridoxine, or B6, is the B vitamin that is largely responsible for redistributing the amino acids to create over five thousand proteins that are needed by the body and is also one of the B vitamins needed to form various enzymes.

    Biotin, or B7, is one of the B vitamins that are involved in a number of processes within the body, including the breaking down of fats, carbohydrates and proteins into useable energy forms.

    Folic acid, or B9, is the essential B vitamin for aiding in cell growth and division, especially during pregnancy. This B vitamin is also necessary to make natural chemicals which control the appetite, moods and quality of sleep. It is also the best B vitamin for helping lower the chances of suffering a heart attack or stroke by keeping the arteries open.

    Cobalamin, or B12, is one of the B vitamins that is important in the process of converting the carbohydrates, proteins, and fats into energy. This B vitamin is also vital in forming the protective covering of nerve cells and to keep red blood cells healthy, and help prevent heart disease.

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  • The Importance of the 12 B vitamin

    The Importance of the 12 B vitamin

    The 12 b vitamin is one of the b vitamins that are essential to maintain a healthy body. Otherwise known as Cobalamin, the 12b vitamin is needed for the processes to convert the carbohydrates, fats and proteins from food into energy. 12 b also, more importantly, helps keep the red blood cells healthy and therefore prevent heart disease as well as keeping the immune system functioning at its maximum level. In addition, 12 b is used to create the protective covering of all nerve cells in the body.

    The most important function of 12 b is to form healthy red blood cells. However, all cells need 12 b to keep them healthy. It is the white blood cells, amongst others, that need 12 b to help ensure that the immune system functioning properly. All of the nerve cells in the body also need 12 b to form their protective fatty layer. This is essential for all of the nerves but is especially so for those in the brain. If there is not sufficient 12 b to create this protective layer then the brain will not be functioning properly.

    Interestingly, the amount of 12 b that the body needs is relatively small but is needed on a regular basis. However, 12 b on its own is not enough as the body cannot absorb it easily. To help the body absorb 12 b the stomach produces intrinsic factor which enables more of the 12 b to be absorbed. 12 b is only found in animal foods such as liver, eggs, fish and meat but most people consume far more than their recommended daily amount of 12 b. This is not a problem as the body can only absorb about half of the 12 b that is consumed. It is also worth noting that the body can recycle the 12 b which cuts down on the impact of a 12 b deficiency. However, strict vegetarians or vegans are likely to require 12 b supplements if they do not eat any animal products that contain 12 b.

    If the body does not have enough 12 b then anaemia is the most obvious symptom. Obviously, this is due to the fact that there is not enough 12 b to make healthy red blood cells. Anaemia can also be caused by the body not creating enough intrinsic factor to help absorb the 12 b that is available in the food consumed. The body tends to makes less intrinsic factor once a person reaches 50 and this will lead to less 12 b being absorbed and supplements of 12 b may be required. Kids are also at risk from anaemia because they may not eat the food that contain 12 b. Pregnant women need more 12 b because the baby is absorbing 12 b during the pregnancy to grow properly.

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  • Good Food Health Vitamin Intake

    Good Food Health Vitamin Intake

    It is essential that a person is aware of what constitutes good food health vitamin intake. The federal drug administration produces a recommended daily allowance for the majority of vitamins which it regards as a good food health vitamin intake. These figures vary according to a person’s age, sex and some other factors so that the good food health vitamin intake for a young woman is going to be different to that of a man in his seventies.

    The food health vitamin intake amounts of certain foods are included in the nutritional labelling. This labelling is important for a person to consider and helps ensure that they are receiving the correct food health vitamin intake from the foods that they eat. The nutritional information is often represented as a percentage of the recommended daily allowance of each vitamin and mineral and can help assess the value of the foods in the quest for good food health vitamin intake.

    There are also a number of items that a person may want to restrict in their diet as part of their good food health vitamin intake. Again, the nutritional labelling of certain foods can help a person to see how high a product is in these undesirable contents. Salt and fat, for example, may be items that a person wants to consider limiting as part of their good food health vitamin intake even though they are not strictly vitamins. The majority of people actually refer to nutrients when they use the word vitamin and food manufacturers are aware that a person is looking at minerals and other items when they are considering their good food health vitamin intake. Fiber is another element that many people are more aware of as forming an essential part of a balanced diet and is necessary for good food health vitamin intake.

    If a person is on a restricted diet for any reason then they need to pay even more attention to their good food health vitamin intake. Obviously, some foods contain different nutrients to others and this is applicable to vitamins as well and it may be more difficult for a person to achieve their good food health vitamin intake if they are unable to eat certain foods. Vitamin supplements can form an essential part of a good food health vitamin intake for people who are unable to obtain their vitamins from their normal diet. It is also worth remembering that the good food health vitamin intake for a person varies throughout their life depending on their general health.

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  • A Guide to the E Vitamin

    A Guide to the E Vitamin

    The e vitamin is extremely important for a variety of functions in the body. A healthy heart needs plenty of the e vitamin as it has been shown to actually prevent heart disease. The e vitamin can also help contain any existing heart disease and stop it from getting worse.

    E vitamin is also vital in protecting the cell membranes from the harmful free radicals that are present in the body. Without e vitamin, amongst others, the cell membranes would be damaged and this could lead to serious health problems, including cancer. The reason that the e vitamin is so effective against free radicals is that it is fat soluble so it can be absorbed into the cell membranes. The e vitamin is therefore essential for the immune system.

    The recommended daily amount of the e vitamin that a person requires depends on their body weight. This is connected to the fact that the more fat a diet contains then the more of the e vitamin that is needed. However, the only foods that really contain any reasonable amount of the e vitamin are vegetable oils, seeds, wheat germ, and nuts. It is for this reason that most people should take some form of e vitamin supplement.

    A deficiency of the e vitamin does not affect a person immediately. In fact, it can take months for the effects of insufficient e vitamin to be detected. After years of e vitamin deficiency there may e some detectable damage to the nerves of the spinal cord or retina of the eye but this is very rare. Most people obtain enough e vitamin from a normal diet but it is essential that the food that a person eats contains a little fat to help with the absorption of the e vitamin.

    There are a few medical conditions that may lead to a deficiency of the e vitamin and may require the person to take e vitamin supplements. Cystic fibrosis causes a person to be unable to digest fats well which leads to less of the e vitamin being absorbed. Crohn’s disease causes to lower absorption rates of the e vitamin and a supplement may be necessary. Some forms of liver disease can also lead to problems absorbing the e vitamin, especially through the intestine. Of course, as fat is required to help absorb sufficient amounts of the e vitamin, anyone on an extremely low-fat diet will need to discuss their options for increasing the amount of e vitamin that their body needs.

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  • A Guide to the D Vitamin

    A Guide to the D Vitamin

    The D vitamin is the only vitamin that is not obtained from foods that are consumed. Instead, the D vitamin is actually obtained by sunlight on the skin. There has been a lot of media coverage about the dangers of getting too much sun but it is essential that the skin is exposed to sunlight to obtain the recommended daily allowance of the D vitamin. In reality, the amount of time that a person has to spend in the sun to receive a sufficient dose of the D vitamin is extremely small and just a few minutes a day will be sufficient and not have any adverse effects from the amount of ultra-violet light received.

    The most important function of the D vitamin is to help control how much calcium is absorbed from food. The majority of the calcium is used to build strong teeth and bones but it is also needed to send messages along the nerves and to help muscles, such as the heart muscles, to contract. It is the D vitamin that ensures that there is always sufficient calcium in the blood to perform these tasks. Other functions that require the D vitamin relate to the immune system and it is believed that it is also a contributing factor in reducing the risk of contracting cancer and, in particular, colon cancer.

    The variant of the D vitamin that is formed under the skin is known as vitamin D3, or cholecalciferol. This D vitamin is created when the ultraviolet in the sunlight reacts with a type of cholesterol that is found under the skin naturally. The D3 is converted into a more active form of the d vitamin in the liver and is then diverted to where it is needed the most. Some of the D vitamin remains in the liver and kidneys to help reabsorb the calcium from the blood. The rest of the D vitamin is dispersed to the bones to help them retain their calcium and the intestines to aid absorption of calcium from food.

    Even though the majority of the D vitamin is formed through the exposure of the skin to sunlight there are some foods that do contain some of the vitamin naturally. This form of the D vitamin is known as vitamin D2, or ergocalciferol. This is used in the same way as the other D vitamins and is the type used to create the majority of D vitamin supplements.

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  • Mineral Vitamin Supplements

    Mineral Vitamin Supplements

    The majority of mineral vitamin supplements are made from chemicals rather than natural substances. However, there is a steady growth in the demand for natural mineral vitamin supplements. This is due to the amount of debate that there is as to whether chemical mineral vitamins can be more harmful than beneficial in the long term.

    The fact is that chemical mineral vitamin supplements are not as easily absorbed as normal food particles are. The mineral vitamin industry is constantly striving to create products that are more easily processed by the body and therefore more beneficial.

    Every now and then the industry comes up with a new ‘more bio-available’ form of a vitamin or mineral. To overcome this, a large number of mineral vitamins have been developed that combine other elements with the vitamins and minerals to enable them to be more easily absorbed by the body. Iron is commonly combined to form iron gluconate which enable the mineral vitamin supplement to be more absorbable.

    The amount of a nutrient in a mineral vitamin supplement needs to be far greater than it would be in a more natural form for the body to be able to absorb the amount that is required. This can obviously lead to problem where a toxic level of the particular nutrient is being consumed by the large doses of the mineral vitamin supplement that are needed. It is therefore extremely important that a person does not simply take vast quantities of all of the mineral vitamin supplements that are advertised on television and should seek advice from a health professional. It is also worth being aware of the developments in the mineral vitamin supplement industry as there are constantly new and better combinations being developed.

    One method that mineral vitamin manufacturers have developed to help aid absorption is through culturing the raw materials with yeast cells. This form of mineral vitamins are known as ‘food state’ and are up to four times easier for the body to absorb the required nutrients as the yeast is completely digested.

    Of course, the need for mineral vitamin supplements depends on the diet that a person has. There is no doubt that it is far more preferable for a person to obtain the nutrients that they require from their food rather than by taking mineral vitamin supplements wherever possible. During certain periods it may be necessary for a person to take mineral vitamin supplements on a temporary basis but their long term use is not recommended for a number of the supplements that are available.

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