Monday, December 22, 2008

Stress Nutrition - Relieve Stress With Proper Nutrition

Stress Nutrition - Relieve Stress With Proper Nutrition

Stress is an important factor that in long term can be the cause of a number of physical neurological and psychiatric disorders. It is important to manage stress by adopting a healthy attitude towards various aspects of life limiting the responsibility to what you can shoulder, limiting your liabilities to the extent that you can handle them and not over committing yourself to any task beyond what you can reasonably except to perform.

There is an accepted association between nutrition and stress. Stress can lead people to make poor nutritional choices which can affect overall health. Poor nutrition also can greatly affect a person's capability of reacting and coping with stress. And because of this, good nutrition is always part of effective stress management. Here are just some simple tips that would help people use good nutrition as a means to manage the stresses in life.

Stress raises our metabolism and decreases our nutritional status, depleting our body of water- soluble vitamins and minerals. Therefore we must increase intake of the water-soluble vitamins, B and C. A deficiency of B vitamins leaves you feeling tired and lethargic, yet more reactive to stress. Minerals, particularly potassium, magnesium and zinc are also depleted during stress. A basic multi-vitamin supplementation program is essential.

A healthy nutritious diet typically includes fresh fruit, whole grains, vegetables, lean meat and fish. Foods that contain high levels of fat, salt, sugar and alcohol should be taken in moderation. A healthy diet enhances the immune system and helps to maintain a reasonable energy level which is essential for dealing with stress.

Low fat dairy and yogurt are recommended because they are high in calcium and magnesium. Foods high in calcium and magnesium have been shown to reduce stress because these two nutrients relax muscle fibers.

Overall, when stressed, depending on what your activity level it can be a good idea to eat a diet rich in complex carbohydrates. These help to release serotonin into the body and elevate mood. Some good food sources of complex carbohydrates include broccoli, potatoes, squash, and brown rice.

One thing that is important to know about stress is that it creates poor nutrition. For instance if you are in a rush and can not cook breakfast, what do you grab? Most likely a doughnut, Pop-Tart or something else similiar that can be eaten on the run. Green tea has a substantial amount of anti-oxidants in it that can protect the body during stressful times, and can even help promote weight loss by giving your body the tools to burn fat.

Nutrition and stress are more related than you could imagine. In fact, they are intertwining - one affecting other in a little circle. Your eating habits in relation to stress can become a negative vicious cycle until you understand what is happening and take charge of the nutrition you put into your body.

By: Hutch Peter

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

The First Step To Eating Healthy

The First Step To Eating Healthy

Facts panel on the packaging of the food. This is not only relative to eating out; the same exact scenario tends to occur at home.

Being as busy as we are, we tend to be in a constant rush. When making dinner at home we tend to throw all of the ingredients together without paying any attention to the nutrition facts.

This is why a lot of us suffer from excessive weight gain. Being more aware of what we eat can help us lose weight and feel healthier.

When looking at the Nutrition Facts panel we can see exactly how many calories a product has, how much saturated fat it contains and how much salt it contains.

All of these numbers have a tremendous impact on our health. It is a well known fact that a diet high in saturated fat and high in sodium can lead to numerous health problem, such as heart disease. Knowing that we can avoid health problems simply by paying close attention to the nutrition facts seems like quite an easy task.

There are also certain foods we can consume with which we don’t have to worry about the Nutrition Facts, such as fruit, vegetables, grains, and whey protein powder (to name a few).

Simply keep in mind that everything you purchase has to have the Nutrition Facts so you never have to guess as to what you are buying.

Most people who take the time to look over the nutrition panel look over the amount of calories and the grams of saturated fat.

While that is important, you also want to make sure that you look at the amount of sodium and cholesterol in the product.

Sodium is often overlooked even though it’s an important factor in determining the product’s nutritious values. Too much salt in your diet is very unhealthy; therefore, you should always look at the sodium levels especially if you are eating something canned or frozen.

There are many companies out there which are striving to create healthier products. Everything from hoodia pills to fresh baked goods are made without any additives, preservatives and chemicals. So as long as you are willing to eat healthy, there are many healthy alternatives available.

By: skindeep13

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Nutrition With Cereals

Nutrition With Cereals

Cereals are kind of plant food directly obtained from grain or seeds of some plants, these are quite used to human food and animal, because within its major components, there are some quite useful for the physical and mental development of people, especially in children and persons active or sports.

The use of cereals is being developed as historical precedents from ancient Egypt and even the oldest mythical Chinese, this accomplishment in that era, not only because of its benefits to humans, but in turn for its pleasant taste and diverse elements.

It's important to note that in large part due to the production of the cereal world was divided into three areas specifically, European culture will concentrate on producing wheat, rice Eastern culture and ultimately American culture corn, achieving in this way again cereals in one of the most common elements in the diet of people around the world.

The grain inside include whether some structure that is basic to mention, since a large variety of its profits come from its specific components, some of these parties are:

  • This is the outer layer that protects the integrity of the seed, this in turn is a carrier of a large number of oils and acids quite beneficial to our bodies.
  • This is the outer layer of sub-seed which fulfills the functions of collecting inside if a significant and recognizable amount of vitamins and vegetable oils.
  • endosperm: the floury structure that surrounds the nucleus and that in turn provides the nutrients necessary for their development.
  • Core, embryo or germ: This is the center of the seed and is where he collected most of vitamins and nutrients they provide cereals to us.

When we speak of cereals is impossible not to mention the food on which these are present and in turn the properties or benefits that these bring to our good performance organic, some of these foods are:

  • Pan integral: this is possibly the most food-type cereal known not only for its pleasant taste, but in turn for their interesting qualities to improve the immune system and digestive tract of people thanks to the large amount of fiber and vitamins present in that food.
  • Oats: This very common food with which one can develop a large amount of food is enough to be recognized not only by nature of cereal, but also by our agency to provide substantial amounts of vitamins, minerals and trace elements helpful for things like the immune system.
  • Soybeans: this cereal is fairly recognized not only by its usefulness in the kitchen to make some excellent preparations, but also because it has elements like iron, phosphorus and protein, which is quite useful especially for those athletes.
  • Pasta: This is possibly another type of food grain most widely used and known at present, because it is an essential part of the daily diet of a number of people without not only because of its pleasant taste, but also by the high content of elements such as B-complex vitamins, minerals, amino acids and carbohydrates that are able to successfully stimulate the entire human organ system.

By: Roberto Bell

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Benefits of Liquid Vitamins

Benefits of Liquid Vitamins

Vitamins and minerals can be absorbed by the body in a number of ways. They first enter our body through the food we eat. Secondly, we can take vitamin supplements to increase the amount of pertinent vitamins and minerals. There are different methods of taking medication and one of the most common methods is absorbing it in its liquid form. Do the advantages of liquid vitamins far outweigh its disadvantages – if there are any? Read on and find out.

Better or Easier Absorption for Kids

Although liquid vitamins may taste worse than vitamins in flavored, chewable tablet forms, they are however easier to absorb. There are numerous cases in which children have problems with choking, breathing and swallowing simply because of their inability to absorb medication or vitamins in this form.

This is the same problem as well for adults who have lost their ability to control their jaws or are unable to digest anything that is not in liquid form.

Liquid Vitamins are More Effective

Because of its form, liquid vitamins can be assimilated immediately into the blood stream for a more systemic administration of the vitamin and its average absorption rate is approximately 90 to 98%. It is also three to five times more concentrated than vitamin pills and this lead to higher bio-activity and greater therapeutic benefits.

The Link between Antioxidants and Liquid Vitamins

Have you ever wondered whether or not liquid vitamins contained oxidants as well? Vitamins E, C and A are examples of antioxidants and they are commonly found in vitamin supplements but what about liquid vitamins?

And the answer is an absolute YES. Liquid vitamins must in fact contain such antioxidants or they’ll prove to be ineffective compared to other vitamins. Remember that the most important of all antioxidants – Vitamins A, C and E – are not internally produced by the body so they must be a regular fixture in our diet. Antioxidants are our main defense against effects of damaging oxidation reactions. Antioxidants are our best weapons against suffering from any form of cancer. Without it, we are basically weaker and less healthy.

Liquid Vitamins versus Digestive Acids

One reason why people refuse to acknowledge the benefits of liquid vitamins is because of the supposed destruction by digestive acids of any vitamin or mineral that it does not recognize as part of the process of digestion. The opposite is, in fact true. Our digestive system actually prefers or is able to better absorb liquid vitamins and minerals rather than those made in pill or capsule form.

A vitamin pill or tablet has to be digested completely before it can benefit the human body. It must be broken down into absorbable nutrients or only up to thirty percent of it will be absorbed by the human body. Liquid vitamins however provide a better and easier solution for the digestive system. Because it does not depend in any way on mechanical digestion, an estimated 90% of it can be absorbed directly by the body.

It’s vital to remember that digestion does not mainly function to destroy vitamins and minerals but rather to transform them into substances it can use to improve the general constitution of the body.

Liquid Vitamins: Toxic or Not?

Another problem posed is the amount of colloidal minerals found in liquid vitamins. Are they harmful or not?

In truth, even plants and fruits contain a trace of such minerals in them. Apples, for instance, contain 3-5 mg of aluminum as it’s one of the most abundant elements that can be found in the surface of the Earth. But do you hear anyone telling you that apples are dangerous to your health? On the contrary, what we are more likely to hear is that an apple a day keeps the doctor away.

And so it must be with liquid vitamins as well. Containing a slight amount of colloidal mineral doesn’t mean it’s bad for our health right away. Colloidal minerals, are above all else, naturally occurring elements and can not therefore be avoided.

You Have a Choice
At the end of the day, however, it’s still up to you whether or not you wish to take vitamin supplements in liquid or solid form. What really matters is what you prefer and which will ultimately work better for you.


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