Vitamins: Who needs them?

Vitamins: Who needs them? - Minerals, vitamins and supplements are a huge market in the United States. With nearly 50 percent of all Americans regularly taking a vitamin each day, it is a business worth over $3 billion, according to the General Conference Nutrition Council. A vitamin is defined as "any of a group of organic substances essential in small quantities for normal metabolism, found in minute amounts in natural foodstuffs or sometimes produced synthetically; deficiencies of vitamins produce specific disorders." But what if you get enough nutrients from the food you eat? Do you still need to take a vitamin?

For a person who eats a well-balanced diet, a multi-vitamin may not be necessary since you are receiving all of your nutrients from your food. However, the average American diet is high in protein and fat sources, but tends to be lower in fruit and vegetable sources and thus has overall lower nutritional quality since many key nutrients are found in fruits and vegetables. Other instances where a multi-vitamin may be necessary are during pregnancy, in someone who has chronic poor appetite leading to decreased food consumption, and/or when certain food groups are restricted or eliminated.

Key Nutrients

Vitamins A, C, E are key antioxidants that our body relies on to fight off illness and infection. Liver is the most common source of vitamin A, followed by sweet potatoes, carrots and mangoes. Although not a problem in the United States, vitamin A deficiency is the world's leading cause of blindness in children. According the World Health Organization, deficiencies in this nutrient “increase the risk of disease and death from severe infections” and for pregnant women can cause night blindness and increased maternal mortality.

Vitamin C is another important antioxidant found mostly in fruits and vegetables. People who smoke tend to be at an increased risk of being vitamin C deficient since the free radicals from cigarette smoke deplete vitamin C, so these individuals may want to either eat more food sources of the nutrient or take a vitamin C supplement. Also, your body only uses what vitamin C it needs to function with excess nutrient being excreted from the body Some good sources of vitamin C include citrus fruits, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli and green peppers.

Vitamin E deficiency is rare deficiency. Good food sources are nuts, vegetable oil and green leafy veggies.

Vitamin D has gotten a lot of publicity lately, since many Americans tend to be deficient. Vitamin D is synthesized by the sun's rays hitting our skin, but during the winter months when we're bundled up, how much exposure does our skin get? Vitamin D also has very few food sources, such as fatty fish, fortified milk and egg yolk. The Recommended Daily Allowance for vitamin D is 600 IU/day for adults and 800 IU/day for seniors older than 70. Individuals with kidney concerns may need additional vitamin D as seen fit by their doctors. Some multi-vitamins may not contain the total recommended amount for vitamin D, so extra supplementation may not be a bad idea.

Other nutrients commonly found in a standard multi-vitamin are iron, folic acid and calcium. Iron is important for oxygen transport throughout the body and is found mostly in chicken liver, oysters and beef. Iron supplementation is especially important in pregnant women, menstruating women and individuals on dialysis. Folic acid or folate is a complex-B vitamin that our body uses to create new cells and is needed during periods of rapid cell division (pregnancy and infancy). Due to its importance for prevention of birth defects like spina bifida and other neural tube defects, folic acid has been added to many breakfast cereals. Pregnant and lactating women should strive to make sure they eat enough food sources of folic acid or supplement their diet.

Calcium is important for overall bone health, and deficiencies throughout life can lead to issues like osteoporosis. Milk and dairy products are great sources, so supplementation may be needed only if enough of these products are not adequately consumed.

Although Americans can be known for eating large amounts of food, the types of foods that we choose to eat may not be full of nutrients are body needs to function properly. Some important nutrients to pay attention to are vitamin C for smokers, vitamin D for those of us not getting a lot of sun, and folic acid and iron especially for pregnant women. As with any new health regimen, be sure to talk to your doctor since some nutrients may interfere with certain drugs. Remember, eating a well-balanced diet can also help you achieve results of having an adequately nourished body.

Finding the Right Weight Loss Diet Plans for this Year

Finding the Right Weight Loss Diet Plans for this Year - Finding a diet plan is something that will be different for everybody. Body types, metabolism rates, physical activity and general health will all impact which diet plan will work the best. First and foremost, every diet plan works better when paired with a consistent exercise program, even if it only includes cardio. A dieter who takes a 2 mile walk every morning will be more successful than a dieter that is only counting calories, but not exercising on a regular basis.

Another thing to avoid when beginning a new weight loss plan is the “yo-yo” effect. This happens when the dieter continuously goes on and off of the plan. It is important to create a plan and stick to it. Frequently fluctuating weight loss and gain can slow the overall rate of one’s metabolism, and in the end will make keeping the weight off harder.

Many people choose to simply count calories and eat foods with a low amount of preservatives and a high amount of nutrients. A program such as Weight Watchers is a helpful boost for reluctant dieters. It can provide support and a guide to how many calories should be eaten each day. It also offers an online option, if meeting someone in person seems intimidating.

Lemonade Weight Loss Diet Having Great Results

Lemonade Weight Loss Diet Having Great Results - Reportedly able to assist you to lose weight quickly and eliminate toxins from your body at the same time, the Lemonade Weight loss diet is basically a supplement that comes along with a meal and use plan attached to it for any full 2-week course. The Lemonade Weight loss diet is without doubt popular, but be it effective or not depends greatly how you attempt this weight loss plan. While you are on this Lemonade Weight loss diet, expect to skip several meals and replace these meals with glasses of lemonades that are mixed with maple syrup and cayenne pepper. There are pill versions currently available, in addition to the solution that was made famous several decades ago.

Get more information here – http://weight-loss-program-reviews.com/

Pretty straightforward if you asked me, and definitely workable, so long as you do not steal a few bites in between, as living on glasses of lemonades would not work for everyone available! This Lemonade Weight loss diet would also assist in cleansing your body and becoming rid of toxins, which makes it an attractive option for all those looking for a decent diet plan to aid in weight loss efforts. The Lemonade Weight loss diet is more of a detoxification plan rather than a weight loss plan, nevertheless it is a that could work, provided you do not mind starving yourself.

The benefits of this Lemonade Weight loss diet is the fact that all ingredients are natural (which makes it a natural product with little health hazards to worry about), and the fact that lemonades are in fact pretty refreshing to take! Celebrities have used this Lemonade Weight loss diet to aid diet efforts for several years now with success, thus it may be said to be fairly successful when it comes to weight loss. And this Lemonade Weight loss diet is pretty cheap as well when you compare to other weight-management products in the market today.

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Taking vitamins can help men get rid of fertility issues

Taking vitamins can help men get rid of fertility issues - Men with low fertility levels can become healthier and capable of fathering a child by just including certain essential vitamins in their routine diet, claims a novel study conducted by researchers in New Zealand.

Regular consumption of antioxidants [compounds that protect against cell damage inflicted by molecules called oxygen-free radicals, which are a major cause of disease and aging.] like vitamin E and zinc by subfertile men was found to increase their fertilization chances by four times as compared to other subfertile men who did not take the supplements.

"Oral supplementation with antioxidants may go some way to improve a couple's chance of conception," lead researcher Marian Showell of the University of Auckland, in New Zealand, told Reuters Health in an e-mail.

"When trying to conceive as part of an assisted reproductive programme, it may be advisable to encourage men to take oral antioxidant supplements to improve their partners' chances of becoming pregnant.”

The study details

The research included the analysis of past 34 studies involving almost 3,000 couples being treated for fertility issues.

In-Vitro fertilization and intrauterine insemination were the 2 major conception boosting treatments being undertaken by the study group for sperm-related issues.

The studies were all aimed at evaluating the potential role of one or more antioxidants in male fertility.

The study results

Regular consumption of the antioxidants by the male partner enhances the rate of conception four fold, the study claimed.

Also these couples were almost five times more likely to give birth to a live baby as compared to those couples where no antioxidants were taken by the men.

"The findings of increased live birth rates with antioxidants are based on a total of only 20 births -- a relatively small number," Dr. Mark Sigman of Brown University, in Providence, R.I., who was not involved in the review, told Reuters Health in an e-mail.

Vitamins C and E, zinc, folic acid, lycopene, garlic oil, and selenium are the essential antioxidants linked with increased chances of male fertility.

Besides oral supplements, these can be found in adequate amounts in foods like cranberries, collard greens, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese.

The study was published in the 'Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.'

Should not completely rely on antioxidants

However, couples should not completely rely only on antioxidants to get rid of their fertility challenges, researchers warned.

"It is unrealistic to think one treatment will be good for most couples," noted Sigman.

"There is no evidence that antioxidants cause harm," he added. "But since we also don't know which antioxidants or doses are beneficial -- and none have FDA approval for infertility -- consumers are left with purchasing these based on very limited data."

Five things you should know about home health care

Five things you should know about home health care - For people in need of health care in their homes, services can range from skilled nursing and physical therapy to geriatric care and companionship. Here, HCR Home Care, a home health care agency located at 85 Metro Park in Rochester, provides five things anyone considering home health care needs to know.

1 Home health care typically describes both medical or non-medical assistance provided to individuals in the comfort of their residence. Depending on the circumstance, these services may be paid for by insurance or privately by the individual.

2 When evaluating potential home health care providers, you should ask about licenses, certifications, outcomes and patient satisfaction. Full-service, certified or licensed home health care agencies, like HCR Home Care, are reviewed and approved by the state, and must adhere to state and federal regulations designed to protect patient safety. Such agencies will provide supervision of all personnel and perform pre-employment criminal background checks, drug screening and reference checks on all staff.

3 To determine if someone qualifies for insurance-paid home health care services, an in-home assessment is typically done. Qualification standards for home care services vary by insurance company and plan. For Medicare, patients are generally eligible for home health care if they are homebound; need intermittent, skilled nursing care or therapy; and are under a physician’s care.

4 Private care is typically contracted by patients who would like to have home health care services, but whose insurance company does not deem it a medically-necessary service at the time. Often, family members contract for private-pay home health care services when they cannot take care of their loved ones themselves and want the peace-of-mind that they are being taken care of.

5 Home health care services are often recommended by a patient’s physician or by a discharge planner at the hospital if the person has been hospitalized. These individuals will generally initiate a referral to a home health care agency based on patient choice. Alternatively, patients may contact a home health care agency at any time and ask for assistance in starting services

source : http://www.henriettapost.com/

Folic Acid Make Baby More Intelligent and Smart

Pregnant women who get the intake of folic acid and iron are quite likely to have a bright child. Thus the results of research conducted at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Maryland, United States, recently.

Research involving 676 children living in Nepal were found, micronutrient supplementation containing folic acid and iron to improving the intellectual and motor skills. Therefore, if the mother was taking both supplements during pregnancy will affect the baby's intelligence.

"Iron plays an important role for the development of central nervous system. Lack of iron can change neuroanatomi, biochemistry, and metabolism that would hamper the processes of cognitive and motor development," said Paul Christian, leader of the study.

In the study, the children were tested using the universal nonverbal intelligence test (UNIT) to test an intellectual level, also test the movement assessment battery for children (MABC) to test their motor function. As a result, folic acid and iron are not only good for the intellectual level of children, but also for the development of motor function.

"This groundbreaking research shows that children's cognitive performance is influenced by the intake that goes into his mother's body during pregnancy," says Maureen Black of the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

The research results were published in the latest edition of the American Medical Association