Nutrition Information

With the release of the new dietary guidelines, in the form of the new food pyramid, I still find that many people don’t actually understand what nutrition actually means. Because of this, dietary choices can seem overwhelming. Even greater confusion can be generated by prime time news specials which only strive to educate through clever sound-bites and diet fads which lead some to believe that all of their answers are found in one single “magic food.” So what is nutrition and how can you understand it in a way that helps you apply it to your life and to the benefit of those you know and love? Here’s an analogy I have found helpful in teaching those who attend my free Sunday Night Wellness Call.

Your body functions in a manner similar to a car assembly plant. At that plant, a steady stream of new parts, the correct parts and parts in the right ratios to each other are absolutely necessary in order to keep that plant open for business and running smoothly.

What would happen if someone in purchasing forgot to provide that plant with steering wheels? The cars would be almost functional. But because of a single part deficiency, that car would not be able to carry out its intended function.

If this only happened to a few cars, it probably wouldn’t be a big deal. You wouldn’t see any symptoms of a parts deficiency. But what if that plant had no steering wheels for an entire month? How about year? First the plant would probably close, the community would fail. Good people would move away and the “bad elements” would most likely take over the town. The lack of balanced parts would eventually lead to dire conditions.

What happens when the cells of your body are missing parts?

You eat to provide your cells with nourishment. It’s not just about calories. That nourishment is the collection of parts every cell in your body needs to function properly. You provide your cells with parts and those parts are assembled according to instructions in your DNA to create a variety of finished products. That could include new cells, of which there are many kinds, anti bodies to fight disease, neurotransmitters to carry signals between nerves, and hormones to regulate your body.

So again, there are beneficial raw materials in foods, which our bodies use, and need, to carry out vital cellular functions.

These functions keep us alive.

These functions combat disease.

These functions allow us to heal.

These functions allow our cells to build new cells and all of the other finished materials that are necessary for normal life and optimal health.

And these raw materials are called nutrients.

We eat to give our body access to nutrients.

Sadly, our food does not contain the nutrients it once had in abundance, so it is necessary to supplement a good diet with quality nutritional supplementation to ensure that our cells do not suffer from a parts deficiency. We should still strive to have a good diet, from as many whole foods as possible, with supplementation being a means to supplement, not substitute, the benefits of a good diet.

Dave Saunders is a certified nutritional educator, wellness coach,
member of the American International Association of Nutritional Education (AIANE) and author. He is also the host of a weekly, nation-wide telephone lecture on health and nutrition.

For additional information, please visit http://www.glycoboy.com or http://www.glycowellness.com or email Dave at dave@glycoboy.com>

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If you just walked into the health store to purchase muscle building supplements, you are probably lost, confused and being pushed a dozen products by the salesman. But, how do you know which supplements are the right products for your goals? There are various levels of muscle building supplements and some may not be right for you. But, there are a handful that are excellent choices for anyone looking to build muscle.

Remember, you don’t always need these supplements to build muscle, but these will definitely accelerate you towards your goals. They work as a tool to help you increase your potential for muscular development. They help in muscle growth, and quicker recovery times. Some important ingredients of muscle building supplements are:

Protein: The protein supplements are full of amino acids which are the building blocks for your muscles. Make sure that you include a supplement that takes into account proteins. You can take up to one to two grams of protein per pound of your weight. If you don’t want to take them in a pill form, get the protein through shakes or even bars. Also, look for those that contain eggs, whey, soy or casein.

Creatine: The next important ingredient in the supplement you choose should be creatine. It will help to increase muscle mass by decreasing muscle fatigue and improving muscle recovery. It helps to increase something called ATP which is an energy source that will allow you to do more reps of higher weight. It is recommended that this should be taken in cycles e.g. four weeks on it then two weeks off of it.

Micro-nutrients - multivitamins and multiminerals: Many people mistakenly assume that they are getting enough vitamins and minerals through their normal diet. Unfortunately, this is not the case. We would have to consume extremely large quantities of food to get the recommended daily intake. An easier approach would be to supplement our diet with a good quality multi-vitamin/multi-mineral supplement. If you do not have one specific mineral in your diet, this can slow down your ability to develop muscles or improve your health.

Mike Singh is the publisher of http://www.1-stop-fitness.com/ On his website he provides articles about womens health and fitness and adjustable weight benches.

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Fresh fruit and vegetables grown organically have proven to be the best sources of natural vitamins. Vitamins in this form are assimilated synergistically in conjunction with other nutrients. Natural vitamin supplements are made from food sources, and they contain a natural blend of vitamins and nutrients from real sources such as Brewer’s yeast, maize, liver, alfalfa, sprouted foods, spirulina, chlorella, and more.

Isolated synthetic vitamin nutrients face a considerable amount of rejection by the body at the cellular level, and the absorption is not complete. Besides, the chemical additives, such as binders, fillers, and preservatives, further hamper the digestion process. Natural vitamin E (D-alfa tocopherol), which is far superior to synthetic vitamin E (alfa tocopherol), is opposite in molecular structure to its synthetic form. Hence, it has been observed that natural vitamin supplements supersede their synthetic look-alikes in terms of absorption, assimilation, and retention.

The ancient traditional Indian system of medicine, Ayurveda, has one of the most potent nutritional supplements called “chyawanprash,” with over fifty ingredients, formulated by sage Chyawan to regain his lost youth. Its main ingredient is Indian gooseberry (embilica officianalis), the richest source of natural vitamin C (twenty times that of an orange). Additionally, it has a protective enzyme over it that prevents oxidation of vitamin C even at very high temperatures. Another wonderful supplement is spirulina, which is rich in vitamin Ea key antioxidantas well as in the vitamin B series B1, B3, B6, and B12. Spirulina, which is available in powder form, is also the richest whole food source of beta carotene.

Over 80% of the cheaply available synthetic vitamins get excreted out of the system. Natural vitamin supplements may sound like a costly proposition, but in the long run will prove otherwise. Natural vitamin supplements are available at health food stores, or they can be ordered online. They can also be purchased from network marketing agents. It is advisable to choose a product manufactured by a GMP-certified company. “Neutraceutical,” is a word coined by the nutrition supplement industry for high-quality supplements.

Vitamin Supplements provides detailed information on Vitamin Supplements, Natural Vitamin Supplements, Liquid Vitamin Supplements, Best Vitamin Supplements and more. Vitamin Supplements is affiliated with Multi Vitamins.

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