Archive for July, 2011
Nutritional Supplements Must Match Your Health Needs
Posted on July 30, 2011 | Healthy Nutrition.
Standard nutrition supplements include many vitamins, all of which play an important role in an adult’s healthy body. Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin which can help cells reproduce, can facilitate normal growth and development of the embryo and fetus, and is also helpful for vision. The Vitamin B-complex is good for your digestive and nervous system. Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that has a number of biological functions. Vitamin D helps maintain blood levels of calcium by increasing absorption of calcium from food and reducing urinary calcium loss. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that protects cell membranes and other fat-soluble parts of the body, such as low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, from damage. In a word, you need all of these vitamins to live a healthy life.
Is it enough that you purchase a large jar of a well-known brand of multivitamins in order to keep healthy? Contrary to what you might think, it is not. To get the most out of your vitamins, you need a more scientific approach, and it is best to do some research on what nutrition supplements best fit your health needs.
Your lifestyle affects your vitamins, so you should take additional vitamins to complement your lifestyle. For example, vegetarians should take additional protein and calcium nutrition supplements to replace the vitamins and minerals that are found in meat and dairy products. Custom made vitamins are also something that you should consider to match your lifestyle.
Scientific research has shown that there are close links between genes and supplement nutrition. You should know whether there is some health condition that runs in your family, and whether there are some kinds of minerals and vitamins members of your family tend to be deficient in. If so, you need to boost the levels of those items with vitamins.
In addition to the links between genes and nutrition, there are other aspects that can affect what nutrition supplements a person should take. Women should pay attention to their specific health concerns. Pregnant women, for example, should take additional amounts of folic acid and vitamin C nutrition supplements. Also, women should take calcium and iron supplements to replace minerals lost during the menstrual cycle.
Senior citizens who have not started taking nutrition supplements and vitamin supplements should act right now. Those who are elderly may get infectious more easily, which can potentially develop into disease. Never forget that nutritional supplements are also preventative products and it is never too late to start taking them. There are many vitamins and nutritional supplements targeted at the elderly. Taking the appropriate vitamin supplements – especially personalized vitamins – in the right way and at right time could help you live a healthier and happier life.
Eating Healthier at Fast Food Restaurants
Posted on July 26, 2011 | Healthy Nutrition.
Planning a diet to lose weight is the easy part, actually going through and avoiding unhealthy food is the hard part of the diet. One part of eating that gets in the way of a healthy diet is eating unhealthy foods at fast food restaurants. Not only is eating at a fast food restaurant the number one slip up for potential dieters, but it also is so easy to do. Every city in America is filled with countless fast food restaurants that offer cheap and easy meals. Unfortunately many of the most popular and cheapest selections on these menus are all packed with saturated fat, sugar and excessive calories. Fortunately for us, many of these fast food restaurants now offer healthy alternatives for those of us on a diet. Below are some key ways that you can eat healthier at a fast food restaurant.
Pick the right beverage
A “super-sized” regular soda can add several hundred calories to an already calorie packed meal. Not only are these sodas full of calories, but they are also filled with sugar that is sure to pack on the pounds. While sodas may taste good they offer nothing good in the nutrition department. The same is true for milkshakes, which are even more sugar filled then a soda of the same size. When eating out stick with water, not only is it good for you, but it is usually free.
Don’t “Supersize” me
The hit documentary “Supersize Me” showed the world how bad excessive fast food really is for the human body. Rapid weight gain and overall poor health was the end result for director Morgan Spurlock in his documentary. If you must eat a hamburger, burrito or pizza make sure you eat a very small portion size. Skip the double burgers, the huge burritos and the supreme pizzas and stick with plain hamburgers, ½ burritos and cheese pizza if you must indulge.
Get the Grilled Chicken
Order a grilled chicken and hold the mayonnaise for the best sandwich choice. Instead of mayonnaise use mustard on your chicken sandwich and you will save a ton of fat and excessive calories. If at all possible order the grilled chicken with a wheat bun or eat it with no bread to avoid the high sugar content of the traditional bun.
Watch your Salad Dressing
Most fast food restaurants offer a variety of salad choices. The problem isn’t the lettuce, but the dressing that is being used. Check the labels and get a low calorie and low sugar dressing if at all possible. Also, if you can’t stand the taste of lower calorie dressing you can order a ranch or blue cheese dressing and lightly drizzle it on your salad. Ranch and blue cheese dressings are both packed with lots of calories, but they do offer little carbohydrates compared to other sugar filled dressings.
When starting a weight loss diet, the best bet is to do your own cooking. If you must eat fast food due to traveling, business lunches or any other reason it can be done so much healthier then ordering the traditional value meal. Choose wisely and you will stay on track to your weight loss goals.