Vitamin Supplements

Now you know how to read the labels and find out if a particular supplement contains what you need, here’s how to turn your nutrient needs into a supplement programme.

Theoretically, you could take a mega-mega-multi that has everything you could possibly need in it. The trouble is, this would be enormous, impossible to swallow and no doubt give you a lot more than you need of some nutrients. The other extreme is to take one supplement for each vitamin, exactly matching your requirements — but you’d end up with handfuls of pills. Read the rest of this entry »

Now that you’ve worked out what to take, you’ll want to know when to take them. This depends not only on what is technically best, but also on your lifestyle. If taking supplements twice a day would mean that you’d forget the second lot, you’re probably better off taking them all at once. After all, nature supplies them all in one go, with a meal. Here are the `ten commandments’ of supplement-taking: Read the rest of this entry »

Zinc Minerals

Zinc is one of the most thoroughly researched and widely deficient minerals. About a thousand papers are published each year indicating its value for a variety of conditions. The best absorbed forms of zinc include zinc picolinate, amino acid chelate, citrate and gluconate. Zinc supplementation is relatively non-toxic. In doses of 2000mg symptoms of nausea, vomiting, fever and severe anaemia have been reported. Small amounts of zinc, particularly in the form of zinc sulphate, can act as an irritant in the digestive tract when taken on an empty stomach. There is also some evidence that zinc, at levels of 300mg per day, may impair rather than improve immune function. It is generally considered safe to supplement up to 50mg per day. Read the rest of this entry »

Science is finally beginning to acknowledge that food truly is our best medicine. Fresh fruits and vegetables contain an abundance of vitamins and minerals, as well as a variety of beneficial natural substances that protect the cells from changes that lead to cancer, heart disease, and other degenerative diseases. Fruits and vegetables are also nature’s most potent cleansing foods. The high soluble fiber content of fresh produce helps to cleanse the intestinal tract and also helps to reduce levels of harmful LDL cholesterol in the bloodstream. Because of their rich mineral content, fruits and vegetables help to restore the blood to a healthy alkaline balance. Many fruits and vegetables have gentle diuretic or laxative properties, as well. Following are some examples of fruits and vegetables with powerful cleansing and healing properties. Read the rest of this entry »

Over the years, no other vitamin has received as much media attention, hype, and hoopla as vitamin C. Thanks in great part to its most prominent and outspoken advocate, Linus Pauling, millions of people religiously consume large amounts of vitamin C in hopes that it might cure them of everything from the common cold to cancer.

Despite all this attention, the average person isn’t sure what to believe about this highly touted nutrient. Furthermore, until recently, most physicians weren’t sure what to tell their patients. Research has now provided us with many of the answers. Read the rest of this entry »

Copper

This metal is particularly important because of its relationship to iron. Only a very small amount of copper is ever needed by the body. It helps in the formation of hemoglobin, acting like a catalyst in this respect. All foods contain some copper, sufficient to meet the normal needs of the body. Anyone who uses a wide variety of foods will not be deficient in this mineral. Read the rest of this entry »

Toxicity

Zinc does not generally cause toxic symptoms, except in very large amounts—such as 2 g or more taken at one time, or less (but still a lot) taken regularly over several weeks. By taking as little as two times the RDA of zinc over a period of months, for example, you can interfere with the status of copper in your body.

If you do have too much zinc in your body, you could experience vomiting and diarrhea, and have a decreased HDL (”good”) cholesterol level. More serious problems include anemia and an impaired immune function. Very high zinc intake-10 to 30 times the RDA for prolonged periods—can interfere with your immune system (as can levels that are too low). Read the rest of this entry »

Selenium—in conjunction with an enzyme called glutathione peroxidase—acts as an antioxidant. In this role, it helps prevent oxidative damage in the body. In particular, selenium appears to work together with vitamin E to prevent injuries to cells. By consuming adequate amounts of both selenium and vitamin E, you can help your body fight off cell damage that can contribute to several serious diseases.

• Selenium appears to play a role in preventing heart disorders.
• Selenium seems to help prevent cancer.
• Selenium protects the body against the harmful effects of certain toxic substances, including arsenic, mercury, and copper. It appears to bind to these substances and render them less harmful. Read the rest of this entry »

The next group of foodstuffs is the cereals. In this country we associate the word cereal with breakfast foods, but it covers all foods made from grain. This includes wheat, barley, maize, millet, rice, sorghum and many more. Cereal is often described as a staple food, meaning that it is the main food of a particular country. Wheat is our staple whereas rice is the staple of many Asian countries. All grains are rich in B vitamins and products made from grains provide many of the B complex group. Grains are the seeds of a plant from the grass family, Gramineae. The seed contains starch as a food for the new plant, and also a rich supply of vitamins, minerals and oil. These are found in the outer husk of the seed and in the ‘germ’ or embryo. Read the rest of this entry »

Understanding Your Digestive System

Knowing how your digestive system works will clear up, right at the start, some of the more common confusions about how, when, and where nutrients operate.

Mouth and OesophagusDigestion begins in the mouth with the grinding of food and admixture of saliva. An enzyme called ptyalin in the saliva already begins to split starches into simple sugars. The food is then forced to the back of the mouth and into the oesophagus, or gullet. Here is where peristalsis begins. This is a kneading “milking” constriction and relaxation of muscles that propels material through the digestive system. To prevent back-flow of materials, and to time the release of proper enzymes — since one enzyme cannot do another enzyme’s work — the digestive tract is equipped with valves at important junctions. Read the rest of this entry »