Friday, December 15, 2006

Dietary Health Vitamin Supplement: Do You Need One?
By Mike Jerry

Do you need a dietary health vitamin supplement? Many of us wonder if we are eating a balanced enough diet to get all of our vitamins and minerals on a daily basis. The truth is... even the most balanced diet can be lacking in some very important vitamins. Taking a daily multi-vitamin can be the perfect nutritional supplement for anyone.
Most people believe that eating a balanced diet is the only thing that is important to maintaining good health. Actually, eating a balanced diet and combining that with regular exercise, proper hydration, and the right dosage of multivitamins will be a more accurate way of obtaining optimal health.
Exercise
It is essential to keep the body moving. Although supplements can be useful for nutritional purposes, only moving your body can burn the calories. Exercising helps to rid your body of the waste products that build up in your muscle and other organ tissues. To aid in proper health, it is recommended that you get your heart rate up for at least 30 minutes three times per week.
Water
Drinking enough fluids is another essential part of keeping your body at its optimal health. You can take all the herbal remedies and multivitamin supplement pills you want...but if you are not properly hydrated, they will be extremely ineffective. Most physicians recommend that you drink at least 64 ounces of water on a daily basis. More if you are consuming alcohol or caffeinated beverages.
Diet
Eating a well balanced diet is also very important to maintaining proper health. A diet high in sugars or fats will quickly deplete your body of energy. Eating at least 9 fruits and vegetables a day will keep your tummy full of healthy food and leave little room for sweets and other not so healthy food items.
Vitamins
Almost everyone can benefit from taking at least a multi-mineral type of vitamin on a daily basis. Even individuals who monitor their diet closely, exercise regularly, and drink plenty of water can be deficient in one or more vitamins. Taking a multi-vitamin will help to ensure that a wide range of minerals is entering your body at least once per day.
Even healthy eaters tend to have their favorite foods that they eat on a daily basis. Even if these foods are extremely healthy, they can be lacking in certain vitamins. Someone who eats five oranges a day will obviously be getting plenty of vitamin C but may be deficient in different vitamins like: Vitamin D or E.
Although you may not need a multivitamin to feel healthy, you may find that taking it will help boost your energy levels far beyond your current levels. It is important for people of all nutrition levels to consider a multivitamin to help them reach their optimal health. To help increase the effectiveness of the multivitamins, people can also incorporate consistent exercise, a well balanced diet, and drinking at least 64 ounces of water every day.
Finding the multivitamin supplement that is right for you can be quite a challenge. For helpful and informative articles, resources, facts and tips to assist you toward better health please visit us at: http://www.yourmultivitaminsupplement.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Jerry

Saturday, December 09, 2006

Vitamin Supplements And Your Child
By Jeff Matson

In a perfect world, your children would eat a balanced dietwith the right amount of fruits and vegetables recommended bynutritional standards. However, we all know that rarelyhappens. Many children do not like and sometimes refuse to eatsome kinds of fruits and vegetables. This makes it difficult toensure they are receiving a well-balanced diet that provides allthe vitamins and minerals needed for a healthy life. There arethings you can do as a parent to ensure your child is receivingadequate amounts of vitamins and minerals in their diet.
Using vitamin and mineral supplements to ensure a well-balanceddiet can begin during pregnancy. It is very important forpregnant mothers to obtain the recommended dose of folate andvitamin B-6, since it is an essential component in theformation of genetic material and hemoglobin in red bloodcells. Lack of folic acid can cause the mother to become anemicand increases the risk of miscarriage. Folic acid deficiency mayalso cause the child to be born with a deformity or disability.If you are pregnant and you feel you cannot obtain the adequateamounts of vitamin B-6 on your own, it may be a good idea tolook into a vitamin supplement for the duration of yourpregnancy and talk to your Doctor.
Once your child is born there are more steps you can take inthe first 2 years of their lives, which may increase theirvitamin intake and provide a healthier lifestyle. Babies whoare breastfed often lack vitamin D. This is not as necessary ifthe mother is eating a well-balanced diet, however breast milkalone does not give the baby the recommended daily amount ofvitamin D. Formula fed babies do not need any vitaminsupplementation. Medically approved, commercial iron-fortifiedformulas provide babies with the recommended amount of vitaminsthey need, so babies require no additional supplements. Givingvitamin supplements to a baby who is already receiving thedaily recommendation can be harmful and potentially become verydangerous for your child.
When your child reaches the age of about 2 (and older) and iseating solid foods from all food groups, vitamin supplementsare usually not necessary. Try and provide the adequate amountof vitamins and minerals to your children through the foodsthey eat regularly. Sometimes this can be an impossible taskand if you think your child is lacking the sufficient amountsof vitamins, the best thing to do is to contact their doctorwho will recommend whether or not vitamin supplements arenecessary. It is important to remember that vitamin supplementsare meant to accompany food and are in no way meant as areplacement for a healthy diet.
Health-related information changes frequently, and while everyattempt has been made to ensure the content in this article isup to date and accurate, you should always check with a doctoror nutritional expert before undertaking any substantial changein diet or lifestyle.
About the Author: Jeff Matson is an avid health enthusiast whoowned and operated his own natural health food store. Nowretired, Jeff spends his time keeping fit, walking marathonsand writing articles as a contributing editor forhttp://www.vitamin-insight.com
Source: http://www.isnare.com

Monday, December 04, 2006

Vitamin Supplement

The Antioxidant Vitamins
By Din Lubis

The antioxidant vitamins perform many essential tasks within the body. In recent years, a great deal of research has been done concerning the abilities of the antioxidant vitamins to prevent certain diseases, ranging from cancer to heart ailments. Many studies have shown promising results, and researchers continue their efforts at determining all of the ways that these powerful antioxidant vitamins protect our health and well being.

One of the many important tasks that antioxidant vitamins perform is that of bringing free radicals under control. A free radical is an unstable molecule, operating within the much larger context of a cell. What makes it unstable is that it is lacking an electron. Electrons are a part of the system that enables chemical reactions within the body. Chemical and electrical actions and reactions are the base of all operations of the body.

The free radical lacks an electron because it is the result of the splitting of a structure weakened by either one of the body’s natural metabolizing processes or by some external contaminant, such as pollution or cigarette smoke. The free radical attacks other molecules, seeking its missing part, which leads to its molecule victim becoming a free radical as well. When enough free radicals accumulate with a cell, the cell can be damaged, or worse.

Antioxidant vitamins have the power to bring these free radicals under control. They do this by meeting the free radicals’ most basic needs, by giving them the electrons they need to be stable. Thus, the antioxidant vitamins remove the free radicals’ motive for aggression and crime -- their motive to attack other molecules to steal their electrons, thereby creating still more free radicals -- and bring an end to the free radical crime wave that threatened the very existence of their world and restore social order and peace to their world, the cell, and perhaps even to their universe, the body.

The primary antioxidant vitamins are Vitamin E, Vitamin C, and Vitamin A. They do not become free radical themselves when they give an electron to the unstable molecule, because they have the special capacity to remain stable with or without the electron. It is through this interaction with the free radicals that the antioxidant vitamins are able to assist in the prevention of damage to tissues and cells that could lead to disease.

Numerous studies have found that the antioxidant vitamins may offer protection against a variety of cancers. Other studies have associated antioxidant vitamins with helping to lower blood pressure. Controlling free radicals, as the antioxidant vitamins do, is thought to be an important part of defending the body and the mind against the effects of aging.

In addition to continuous studies concerning antioxidant vitamins potential in preventing cancers, heart disease, and diabetes related conditions, researchers are also paying close attention to the possibilities antioxidant vitamins may hold for Alzheimer's disease.

Vitamin supplements offer a safe and convenient means of meeting the suggested daily intake requirements of these powerful antioxidant vitamins, provided that the standard dosage recommendations are followed.

The chemical balance that allows the body to operate at peak performance can be seriously disrupted by taking too much of any supplement. A licensed nutritionist or your health care provider can best advise you on the dosage most suitable to your individual dietary needs and health goals.