Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Life Worth Living

The day I turned 40 years old I was 25 pounds overweight, lethargic, and seldom did any type of real exercise. At 40 I felt like a 60-year-old and to be honest, I looked the part as well. I took a good look in the mirror and decided to give myself the best birthday present ever; a new lease on life. I threw out all the junk that made me the fat, unhealthy person I was, and began taking dietary supplements, eating the right foods, and exercising. This was a decision that saved my life.

It was hard giving up all the many foods I had grown to love but the fact is they were slowly killing me. I began studying the vitamin code to figure out which foods supply what types of nutrients to the different areas of my body. I wanted to build a strong immune system so I researched which foods were best to do that. I made a diet plan and implemented all the essential vitamins and minerals into that plan. I also made a chart that explained what part of the body benefited from the foods I ate so that when I would eat that food I could visualize that area of my body getting stronger. This was an important exercise that helped me to stay on track.

I knew that a healthy digestive system was key in making sure all the nutrients I was taking in got to where they needed to go. I addedprobiotics to my diet to help regulate my digestive system to make sure it was functioning as efficiently as it could. After about two weeks of adding this to my diet I began to notice a huge change in how I felt.

The changes in my body weren’t immediate; it took a few weeks for me to notice all the improvements but gradually I began to drop my weight and as I was able to exercise more the changes came along faster. The combination of changing my diet to healthier foods, getting proper exercise, and taking a whole food multivitamin changed my life for the better and probably added many years to my life. I never really knew how unhealthy I was until I got healthy. I see food in a totally different way now; I eat for what food does for my body and not for how it comforts me emotionally. I am now 42 years old but I feel and look like I'm 30.

Whole Food Supplements

We are told that we need to take vitamins and supplements in order to ensure the body gets the nutrients that it needs. Even though this is true, many of us are not sure what kind to take or what are the differences between vitamins and whole food supplements. It works like this: The body works better when digesting whole foods. For example, we know that oranges contain vitamin C and then think that taking an isolated vitamin C tablet is the same as eating an orange. This is not true; we also need the other micronutrients that are contained in the orange. All of these micronutrients and vitamins that are in fruits and vegetables work together in the body to help maintain optimal health. This is where taking a whole food supplement is better then taking an isolated vitamin.

Whole food vitamins are very different from the synthetic isolated vitamins that are sold at the local pharmacy. Whole food supplements are concentrates of real whole foods. These foods are dried and turned into powder form and then encapsulated into pill form. The supplement now contains the micronutrients that are found in whole foods unlike an isolated synthetic vitamin.

There are more than 25,000 different micronutrients that have been identified so far in vegetables and fruits. For this reason, it is very hard for one to consume the number of nutrients that are needed for the body to maintain optimal health every day. That is why it is important to take whole food vitamins such as Garden of Life supplements, since we do not get enough whole foods in our daily diet. Synthetic vitamins cannot provide these micronutrients as a quality whole food supplement can.

There are some companies that only make organic whole food supplements. Organic whole food vitamins are made from foods that are grown organically. That means that they are grown without pesticides or chemicals. With many now becoming more aware of the benefits of eating organic fruits and vegetables, there are also the option to take organic vitamins and supplements. Some companies are even making 100% vegan vitamins. One such company is called Vitamin Code.

Since whole food vitamins are made from whole foods, the body can absorb and digest them more efficiently. This also means that many can take them on an empty stomach with no irritation to the digestive track. The many benefits of taking whole food supplements outweigh synthetic vitamins by far.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Top 5 Complexes and Supplements for Women's Health

We women are often considered to be a completely different species from men. In fact, there is a growing body of evidence that shows that men's and women's bodies have greater genetic differences than the lack of an extra leg on one of our chromosomes! The married segment of society has always intuited these differences (and hopefully, successfully learned to live with them). Now the whole food supplements industry is doing the same! Today we are looking at some of the best New Chapter organic supplements for women's health.

The herbs in this New Chapter organic supplement are designed specifically for supporting women's hormones needed for proper body functioning, especially pasat menopause. This blend contains 25 different vitamins and minerals, and 20 different herbs. It aims to cure stress, help with anti-aging and boost energy.
This formulation is specifically designed to support women's mental health in quite an indirect way … by helping them look better. The supplement aims to improve the health of skin, hair and nails. It includes 20 different herbs (just like Every Woman II), including supercritical ginger and turmeric extracts which are supposed to enhance bioavailability.
Natural is best when it comes to pregnancy, which is why New Chapter branched out into providing prenatal whole food supplements. The nutrients are delivered through whole food form rather than isolated synthetic compounds, which is thought to increase bioavailability.
Minerals are easy to miss out on in your diet, but essential to proper cell function. This mineral complex New Chapter organic supplement delivers its minerals in probiotic form, and includes 9 free-radical scavenging herbs.
Even women who generally eat quite a balanced diet and get good amounts of most vitamins and minerals can find themselves iron deficient. The regular loss of blood through menstruation is only one reason why your iron becomes depleted - pregnancy really saps your stores, and if you are like one out of every five women and choose to give blood regularly, then you'll have a hard time keeping up your iron without keeping up the fat from red meat. This whole food supplement has been very popular for this reason.

Living a Healthier Life

Last year I became aware of the need to live a healthier life. I decided to change all my bad habits and replace them with a plan that I call mygarden of life. I went through my pantry and refrigerator and threw away all the food items that were not healthy and replaced them with foods that help my body function more efficiently. I began keeping a diary of all the things I wanted to change such as my weight, sleeping habits, and mental abilities such as my memory. Over the last year I have seen major changes in all these things.

I began taking a whole food multivitamin every day and after doing this for two weeks I noticed a huge change in the amount of energy I had throughout the day. I felt younger and more energetic. I also began an exercise routine to help tone up and rebuild my muscles. After the first month of my garden of life plan I had lost ten pounds and dropped two pant sizes.

I also changed the way I took care of my skin. I threw away all the harmful cosmetics that clog my pores and began using natural skin careproducts. I stopped going to the tanning salon and began taking good care of my skin by using the proper sunscreens designed for my skin type. My skin has never looked better or younger. For the first time in my life I can leave the house without having to put on any make up; my skin looks even and smooth all on its own.

Before I began changing all my bad habits I was having a difficult time sleeping and would often struggle to fall asleep and stay asleep. I found myself waking up at least two times a night. I would get up in the morning feeling like I hadn’t gotten enough sleep. But after I began making the changes in my life by adding a whole food multivitamin to my diet, I began sleeping much better. I was able to fall asleep effortlessly and stay asleep throughout the night. I think the combination of the vitamin and the exercise helped me to overcome this annoying part of my life. I now feel well rested and refreshed every morning.

I recognized that I needed to make these changes in my life. My garden of life plan has benefited me in so many ways and I highly recommend that if you are feeling run down and unable to fully participate in life, that you make these same type of changes in your life. You will have a longer and more satisfying life if you do.

Vitamins and Supplements for Optimal Nutrition

The majorities of us lead very busy lives and do not have time to eat healthy. We know that we do not always make the right food choices on a daily basis. Breakfast can be a cup of coffee and maybe a doughnut -- or even worse, fast food -- as we run out the door. Taking a multivitamin can help one to get the vitamins and minerals that our bodies need to stay healthy.

With all the different vitamins on the market it can be confusing choosing the right one. Each one of use has different needs to help our bodies maintain optimal health. Looking at age, sex and nutritional needs will generally help one to decide on which vitamin to buy.

Have you considered organic vitamins? These vitamins are made from ingredients that do not contain chemicals, artificial coloring and flavors. With many of us trying to lead a healthier lifestyle these are a great choice and is a great first step.

There is also a lot of confusion on what whole food vitamins are. These are vitamins that are made only from natural sources. This means that the vitamins and minerals are not made from man-made materials. The ingredients come from plants, vegetables and fruits. They also do not contain any artificial ingredients like the organic vitamins.

Vitamins and multivitamins are not the same. A vitamin is considered to be an isolated vitamin where there are no other vitamins that are mixed in. A multivitamin is a mixture of vitamins and minerals.

Vitamins that are made for women usually contain more iron and calcium, while vitamins that are made for men may contain things to promote prostate health. Children also have special nutritional needs when it comes to taking a multivitamin.

As science finds out more on how taking certain supplements can help our bodies to achieve optimal health, it is important to be informed on the many different types. For some of us a whole food vitamin is just what we need, while others may need to take organic vitamins. Either way, taking vitamins and supplements can help the body to stay healthy when faced with a busy lifestyle.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

If you think of your body as an automobile, you can understand how important it is to keep it maintained properly for optimal performance. If you don’t put oil in the engine of your car, the engine is going to lock up and stop working. If you don’t put the right things into your body, your body is going to slow down and possibly shut down. The most important thing you should understand is the vitamin code and what each vitamin does for your body.

The cells of the body require certain nutrients in order to function properly. Each system relies on each other to make sure the body, as a whole, is working well; if one system of the body is not maintained it will influence the rest of the body. The foods you eat or the dietary supplements you take are effective ways to provide your body with the nutrients it needs to work well. Maintaining the immune system is vital; maintaining the cells that destroy damaging free radicals is your first defense against sickness and disease. Eating foods or taking supplements that supply Vitamin C will help you to build a healthy and strong immune system.

There are many different types of vitamins you can take but the whole food multivitamin is probably the very best you can use. You will be getting the best part of what whole foods have to offer. Food is your fuel and just like you need gasoline for your car, you need food to give you the energy to keep going. The cells within your body need a multitude of vitamins in order to feed your internal organs. You can get these vitamins from foods that are readily available to you or in supplement form; either way your body requires them.

Digestive tract care is extremely important to your health; a healthy digestive system helps for the proper absorption of nutrients that you take in. One excellent way to keep your digestive tract working well is by using products with probiotics. Probiotics help to keep a balance in your digestive system and allows your body to run smoothly taking in all the vitamins and nutrients you are getting from the food you eat. A poorly maintained digestive system will flush the much needed vitamins you need and starving your cells of essential nutrients.

Whether you decide to get your daily nutrients completely through the foods you eat or by taking dietary supplements, getting these vitamins and nutrients are very important in maintaining your body for top performance.


Whole Food Vitamins and Supplements

There are many of us out there that live a grab-and-go lifestyle when it comes to our eating habits. Many of us do not have time to eat as healthy as we would like. With busy schedules working and running our children from one activity to another, we have a tendency to eat on the go. We do not always get the proper nutrition that our bodies need on a daily basis. By taking whole food vitamins and supplements can help our bodies to get the proper nutrition that they so desperately need. Supplements that are made from whole foods are a smart choice in wanting to lead a healthy lifestyle.

The difference in vitamin supplements and whole food supplements is that whole food supplements contain micronutrients. These micronutrients work in conjunction with the vitamins and minerals in a vitamin supplement. Micronutrients are found in nutrient-dense foods such as fruits and vegetables. As we all know, there are many of us that do not eat a wide variety of nutritious foods that are rich in micronutrients. Instead we are eating many foods that are full of preservatives. These types of processed foods only contain a small amount of nutrition that we need for optimal health.

By taking a whole food vitamin can help many to get the micronutrients that we all need in our diet. This type of vitamin that contains micronutrients has shown to increase the absorption of other nutrients when we eat other whole foods. This is very important for the body, because now science has found that the more whole foods we eat, our bodies have an easier time fighting off free radicals and other toxins that can attack the body. They also are great for immune system support. The immune system is what fights off many of the everyday germs that we are exposed to.

There are many brands of multivitamins now on the market. With so many to choose from, many nutritionists recommend taking organic whole food vitamins to help the body deal with everyday stresses. This type of vitamin is more nutritionally complete then many of the other multivitamins that do not contain micronutrients on the market today.

Whole food vitamin supplements can help many with getting the nutrients that we need for optimal health. Even though many of us try to eat right as much as we can, we still sometimes find ourselves eating processed foods. In order to keep our bodies healthy, whole food vitamins can help.



Monday, January 4, 2010

New Year’s Resolutions

I’ve never been much to make New Year’s resolutions but this year I decided that I needed to move towards a healthier life style beginning with the care of my body. Specifically I decided I needed to begin incorporating items such as all natural skin care products into my daily routine. I have thrown away all my non-organic cosmetics and beauty products to go for a more natural approach. I did a bit of research and found that the all natural products are far better for my skin than the ones I had been using.

I wrote out a plan of action and titled it my garden of life plan. I figured if I had a step by step itinerary for myself I’d be more likely to stick to the plan. The problem with New Year’s resolutions is that most people wait until January 1st to make the changes; I didn’t wait; I began the day I wrote out my plan of action. Waiting until the first of the year seemed like procrastination to me and since I realized I needed to make these changes I figured there was no time like the present to begin.

Other things I have on my plan of action are concerning the way I eat and what I put into my body. Having a bit of knowledge concerning the vitamin code, I know how important it is to get the essential vitamins every day. Each vitamin has a specific job to improve the performance of the systems of my body. When a person gives the body what it needs to perform correctly, an individual begins to feel recharged and new. When all systems work perfectly and in sync with each other, longevity increases and life becomes more enjoyable.

I’ve also added probiotics to my daily routine. I wanted to do everything I could to ensure I was taking care of my body the best way possible. Adding this to my life has helped to make for a healthier digestive system which means I will get the upmost use of all the vitamins I get in the foods I eat.

My garden of life plan has been in effect for over a month now and I can honestly say I feel and look much better than I did prior to starting my plan. I am very glad I didn’t wait to begin this process until the first of the year; now I can start my new year with a brand new lease on life while I incorporate my knowledge of the vitamin code into my daily life, now and for the rest of my life.

Acid Reflux

Many people suffer with acid reflux and heartburn symptoms in the United States. During the holidays, eating many traditional foods can really irritate this condition. I know, I have been suffering from this uncomfortable problem for the past three years and it got so severe that I have sought medical treatment for it. The reason that I went to see my doctor about it, is that I learned that leaving acid reflux untreated can destroy the lining of the esophagus and throat, and that can even lead to many more serious health issues.

Since my doctor has been treating me for this condition, I was on the lookout for other ways that could also help me relieve the pain of acid reflux. What I found was many of the Mt. Capra products could help me when dealing with the burning that would occur when eating many of my favorite foods. I checked with my doctor first to make sure that taking organic whole food supplements would not interfere with the medications that I was already taking. Giving him the information on each product helped me to decide on which natural product was right for my condition.

I started using the Mineral Goat Whey powder mixed in a glass of water to help relieve the burning. I got immediate relief from this product. The reason why I started using this instead of an over-the-counter antacid tablets is because I wanted a more natural product. With that being said, I also started focusing on my overall health. I learned that avoiding certain foods such as fried foods, spicy foods and caffeine would help me avoid food triggers that can cause acid reflux. So, I started taking organic vitamins to avoid many of the additives that are added to many other types of vitamins that could also be triggering some of my symptoms.

In conjunction with taking my prescribed medications for acid reflux, many of the natural supplements have helped me to better manage my condition. Knowing and understanding this painful condition has helped me in making better choices when it comes to food. Taking herbal supplements that can aid in digestion and my prescribed medication is helping me to experience that burning sensation less. This in turn has helped in the healing process of my esophagus thanks to the great products on this site.