Vitamin Supplements

Onion

The humble onion has a variety of health-protective and cleansing benefits. The pungent flavor of onions helps to improve circulation and reduce excess mucus in the respiratory tract and throughout the body. They are rich in sulfur, which promotes detoxification from heavy metals and parasites. Natural compounds in onions help to regulate blood pressure and eliminate damaging LDL cholesterol while increasing levels of beneficial HDL cholesterol. For the most powerful benefits, eat onions both raw and cooked. Red and yellow onions contain quercetin, a potent antioxidant that neutralizes carcinogens and has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. 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 »

In the ‘thirties the idea of such a list was very novel but it soon had a chance of being put to the test. With the coming of World War II and the rationing of food this type of information was very valuable. Vitamins were made available to mothers and babies, and the basic rations for everyone in this country included sufficient food for good health. Vitamins were added to margarine, bread and flour, and although food was limited and the diet was often monotonous we had all the food we needed and were healthier at the end of six years of war than we had ever been before.

Vitamins had proved their point. We believed in them, and the way was open for a new and thriving business. Health food shops sprang up in the ‘fifties and chemists started to sell an increasingly large range of vitamin preparations. Read the rest of this entry »

There was a time, not so long ago, when people refused to believe in vitamins because they could not see them. We still cannot ’see’ them, in the strict sense of the word, but nowadays we treat them as one of the wonders of the twentieth century. The truth is that vitamins are not new. They have been in our food since the beginning of time. The only difference between then and now is that we have learned, it:^, the last seventy years, to isolate, analyse, extract and re-create them. We can put them back into our food, or manufacture them for use in medicines, cosmetics and cattle food. Finally, we can package and sell them without prescription as tablets, tonics and wonder foods. Read the rest of this entry »

Vitamin B₁ (Thiamine)

FACTS:

Water soluble. Like all the B-complex vitamins, any excess is excreted and not stored in the body. It must be replaced daily. Measured in milligrams [mg.].

B vitamins are synergistic — they are more potent together than when used separately. B₁, B2, and B6 should be equally balanced [i.e. 50 mg. of B₁, 50 mg. of B2, and 40 mg. of B₆] to work effectively.

The official RDA for adults is 1.2 to 1.4 mg. [During pregnancy and lactation 1.4 mg. is suggested.] Read the rest of this entry »

Vitamin B2 [Riboflavin]

FACTS:

Water soluble. Easily absorbed. The amount excreted depends on bodily needs and may be accompanied by protein loss.

Like the other B vitamins it is not stored and must be replaced regularly through whole foods or supplements.

Also known as vitamin G.

Measured in milligrams [mg.] 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 »

Vitamin B₁₇ [Laetrile]

FACTS:

One of the most controversial “vitamins” of the decade.

Chemically a compound of two sugar molecules [one benzaldehyde and one cyanide] called an amygdalin.

Known as nitrilosides when used in medical doses. Obtained from apricot pits.

One B vitamin that is not present in brewer’s yeast.

Touted as a cancer treatment in most of the United States at this date and legal in fifteen states but rejected by the Food and Drug Administration on the grounds that it might be poisonous due to its cyanide content. Read the rest of this entry »

Calcium Pantothenate [Pantothenic Acid, Panthenol, Vitamin B₅]

FACTS:

Water soluble, another member of the B-complex family. Helps in cell building, maintaining normal growth, and development of the central nervous system.

Vital for the proper functioning of the adrenal glands. Essential for conversion of fat and sugar to energy.

Necessary for synthesis of antibodies, for utilisation of PABA and choline.

The RDA [as set by the FDA] is 10 mg. for adults. Can be synthesised in the body by intestinal bacteria. Read the rest of this entry »

Vitamin E [Tocopherol]

FACTS:

Fat soluble and stored in the liver, fatty tissues, heart, muscles, testes, uterus, blood, adrenal and pituitary glands.

Formerly measured by weight, but now generally designated according to its biological activity in International Units [IU]. With this vitamin 1 IU is the same as 1 mg.

Composed of compounds called tocopherols. One of the eight tocopherols — alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon, zeta, eta, and theta — alphatocopherol is the most effective.

An active antioxidant, prevents oxidation of fat compounds as well as that of vitamin A, selenium, two sulphur amino acids, and some vitamin C. Read the rest of this entry »