Vesta Health Media Guides » food

Healthy Diets Make Healthy People

vesta — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:25:14 +0000

It seems every time we turn around there’s a new diet showing up that’s going to make us skinny like those models we see on TV. Trouble is too skinny is no more healthy than weighing too much. Healthy diets make healthy people and these 6 ways to shed those extra pounds will have you eating healthy.

1. Loose The Mindset
If you really want to loose those pounds forever you need to change the way you think. You need to retrain your brain about how it thinks when it comes to exercise and healthy diets. Stop thinking short term and start planning into the future.

You have to build habits that are going to be with you for the long haul and that means you have to loose your current mindset about healthy diets. Good habits take time to build but once you do watching your weight will be a thing of the past.

You will never loose weight permanently by dieting. You can only permanently loose weight with healthy diets that are regular meals consisting of good nutrition and good eating habits.

2. Mind Over Muscle
Never give up your muscle mass no matter what you mind is telling you. In fact to permanently loose weight you need healthy diets and healthy exercise. Body builders fully understand this association which is why they don’t have any fat. Of course that doesn’t mean we want you to look like a body builder.

Muscles burn calories faster when you are exercising which is why weight training is so important if you want to loose weight permanently. Your weight will also go up as your muscles develop because muscles weigh more than fat so you’ll weigh more and look thinner.

3. Reduce Slowly
This might be the most important tip of all – do not drastically reduce your calorie intake because when you do your body panics and thinks it’s being starved so it begins to store everything as fat. Instead what you need to is reduce your calories slowly. So reduce your calories by about 500 and increase your activity dramatically with both aerobic activity and weights.

4. Burn Baby Burn
It’s much more important to increase activity than to decrease calories. When you increase activities you burn those calories and the secret is you must always burn more than you eat. Don’t be in a hurry – combine increased activity with healthy diets for healthy weight loss that will last forever.

5. Figure It Out
You need to determine what the minimal calories are that you can take in before your starvation mode kicks in. Then you need to make sure you do not drop your calorie intake below that point. Your healthy diets should make up your calorie intake.

6. Eat A Little A Lot
Eating many small meals throughout the day is much better than eating three huge meals. Snack all day long on healthy foods. This way you never kick in your starvation response and you burn up the calories quickly eating your healthy diets.

These tips to healthy diets and healthy living will have you shedding the pounds slowly but continuously and this type of weight loss will be permanent. Isn’t’ that what you want?

Importance of Vitamin Supplements

vesta — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 09:24:14 +0000

Human need vitamins and he get it from their food which they eat regularly. Vitamins are mixture of chemical which we get in small amount from our daily diet. If we any vitamin in our body then we have suffer from the deficiency disease. Vitamins which we take through food, some are fat- soluble and other is water-soluble. The ability to dissolve vitamins in body temperature with other substance can well manage by a human body.

Here are some fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin A, D, E and K. They are found in foods which contain fats and oil.

Vitamin A: – Vitamin A can be obtained by eating dairy products, liver oils, green vegetables etc. They help in growth and development of cells. Its deficiency causes skin problem.

Vitamin D: – Vitamin D can be obtained by eating dairy product, fish, eggs, sunlight etc. It helps in growth and development of your teeth and bones. Its deficiency causes teeth and bones related problems.

Vitamin E: – Vitamin E can be obtained by eating green leaves, dairy product, wheat oil etc. It acts as antioxidant in our body. Its deficiency may harm your nervous system and you also have genetic problem.

Vitamin K: – Vitamin K can be obtained by eating green vegetables, sprouts, milk etc.

A part of body’s vitamin K can be obtained by bacteria which are living in intestine and it also play main role in blood clotting. Its deficiency may affect your new born child and also lack of Vitamin K can’t stop your blood if you are injured.

Now water-soluble vitamins like Vitamin C and B. They are soluble in water. But can’t be store in human body and it removes by way of urine.

Vitamin C: – Vitamin C can be obtained by eating green vegetables, critic foods etc. Its deficiency causes scurvy. Signs of scurvy are laziness, feeling pain in muscle, joints and legs.

Vitamin B: – Vitamin B can be obtained by eating dairy products, green vegetables, eggs etc. Its deficiency affects skin, problem in brain, spinal cords and also nerves.

Here is a list of Vitamin B Complex:

Vitamin B1 or Thiamine

Vitamin B2 or Riboflavin

Vitamin B3 or Niacin

Vitamin B4 or adenine

Vitamin B5 or Pantethine

Vitamin B6 or Pyridoxamine

Vitamin B7 or Biotin known as Vitamin H

Vitamin B8 or Myo-inositol

Vitamin B9 or Folic acid

Vitamin B10 or para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA)

Vitamin B11 or Pteryl-hepta-glutamic acid

Vitamin B12 or Cobalamin

Vitamin B13 or Orotic acid

Vitamin B14 or Earl R. Norris

Vitamin B15 or Pangamic acid

Vitamin B16 or Dimethylglycine

Vitamin B17 or Amygdalin

Vitamin B18

Vitamin B19

Vitamin B20 or Carnitine

Vitamin B21

Vitamin B22 or Aloe Vera

Vitamin Bh or Biotin

Vitamin Bm or Inositol

Vitamin Bp or Choline

Vitamin Bt or L-Carnitine

Vitamin Bv

Vitamin Bw

Vitamin Bx

Lipoic Acid

Regular intake of Vitamins Make your body healthier and perfect. So take vitamin in proper amount to decrease the deficiency of Vitamin in your body. It makes your body free from diseases and your body health good.

Question about vitaminsVitamins??
I am 14, am highly active, have slightly unruly skin and need more energy-better immune system-need to improve my memory and would like to be able to build muscle faster what vitamins/minerals/herbs/Chinese medicine tricks/ home remedies/tips/doctor's opinions anything i just would like to know how to improve my overall well being! thx!!!

Eating Healthy Food – The Natural Way To A Healthy Living

vesta — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:23:08 +0000

If you dream of having a healthy and fit body for the rest of your life, it is important to make sure that you have in your lifestyle eating healthy cooking. If this will be a part of your life, you should expect yourself to be physically fit.

Some people think that eating healthy cooking can sometimes be too boring. It is because they think that the food options connected with eating healthy cooking are too bland and the choices are too limited, Sometimes, they just to eat that greasy pizza. Every intake of food must me moderated to ensure that you will be safe. However, the more careful you are about yourself, the lesser chances you have of having risks and health problems in the future. Just like what the old saying says, “better safe that sorry.” Who woul want to put dirty oil into his car just because he does not want to do extra mile of driving? Or would you not want to spend extra time just to make sure that your car is in proper maintenance? These questions could also be applicable with eating healthy cooking. Yes, you really have choices on the foods that would eat, but you have to think also that the food that does not bring you good would bring you harm.

Using boring as an excuse for not eating healthy foods is not a valid excuse You have tot hink of how do unhealthy food do to your body and health. As time passes by, more and more restaurants are offering eating healthy cooking. These kinds of restaurants think of more ways on how do healthy foods be appealing and more tasty to the consumers. And the means now are becoming endless.

Eating healthy cooking is just as simple as choosing a nonfat dressing over a fattening dressing for your favorite salad. Also, you can choose salsa as a great salad topper! Aside from being full of flavors, salsa offers healthy ingredients on it, not to mention the little fat that it could give you. More so, spicy foods helps in speeding up the metabolism. So why not choose the spicy salsa?

Some individuals may think that chaging their eating habits to eating healthy cooking is too hard. However, this is not always the case. If you are really determined of living a healthy life, things will just be simple. These simple changes can bring great difference. Eating healthy cooking might just be one of the best choices that you can make in your life. Do not deny your body of the benefits that it deserves. The better benefits shall follow.

Question about healthy foodHealthy food?
Please grade A-F for the following cuisines in terms of healthy food. (high protein & low fat)

Indian, Mexican, Chinese, Italian, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese

Vitamin D

vesta — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 09:05:15 +0000

Introduction

One of the fat-soluble vitamins, vitamin D constitutes two major forms which are vitamin D2 or ergocalciferol and vitamin D3 or cholecalciferol. Vitamin D2 is synthesised by plants whilst vitamin D3 is synthesised by the body. Vitamin D is naturally present in a number of food sources and dietary supplements, and is also manufactured with the aid of sun exposure. It is produced within the body when ultraviolet-B or UVB rays from sunlight reaches the skin. The liver and the kidney eventually help to convert vitamin D to an active hormone form.

Functions of Vitamin D

Vitamin D plays several key roles in the maintenance of organ systems. For example:

* Vitamin D helps regulate calcium concentrations in the blood. Since it works more like a hormone, its active form, calcitriol acts with the parathyroid hormone or PTH. If the calcium level is low, this would trigger the secretion of PTH, which would stimulate the conversion of vitamin D to calcitriol. Calcitriol would then act to increase calcium absorption in the intestines, calcium resorption in the kidneys and stimulate calcium release from the bones.

* Vitamin D helps maintain blood phosphorus levels. Low levels of vitamin D can result to an overactive parathyroid gland. Also with inadequate phosphorus in the body, bones cannot undergo normal mineralisation.

* It is also said that vitamin D benefits the immune system since the T-cells or immune cells have receptors for vitamin D. It acts by boosting phagocytosis, the bodily functions to combat tumours, modulate neuromuscular and immune functions and reduce inflammation.

* Vitamin D is also responsible for maintaining normal cell growth and function. It may be an important element to the prevention and treatment of cancer. It has also been suggested that vitamin D plays a role in regulating the growth and function of brain cells.

* Research studies suggest that vitamin D, because of its anti-inflammatory effect, plays a role in providing protection against osteoporosis, hypertension, cancer, type 1 diabetes, psoriasis and numerous autoimmune diseases.

Deficiency Conditions

There may be certain underlying causes of vitamin D deficiency. It can result from:

* Inadequate vitamin D intake together with inadequate sun exposure

* Certain disorders that compromise vitamin D absorption

* Conditions that can impair the conversion of vitamin D metabolites such as kidney or liver diseases or hereditary disorders.

Insufficient vitamin D intake can have serious effects on the bones, which can make them thin, brittle or deformed. Vitamin D deficiency often results in conditions like:

* Rickets which is common in children and is characterised by delayed growth and deformity of long bones.

* Osteomalacia, which occurs in adults and results in thinning of the bones. Signs of proximal weakness and bone fragility are familiar characteristics.

* Osteoporosis which is a condition wherein the bone mineral density is reduced and bone fragility is increased.

Lack of vitamin D may also be linked to increased susceptibility of several chronic diseases like high blood pressure, cancer, tuberculosis, periodontal disease, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, schisophrenia, depression, affective disorders, peripheral arterial disease and a number of autoimmune diseases such as type-1 diabetes.

Deficiency Symptoms in Adults and Infants

Signs of vitamin D deficiency includes muscle aches, myopathy or muscle weakness and bone pain. These symptoms can occur at any age. Pregnant mothers who have vitamin D deficiency can also cause fetal deficiency.

In younger infants, rickets can produce a condition called craniotabes or softening of the skull. In older babies, rickets can impede or delay sitting and crawling and the closure of the fontanels; bossing of the infants’ skull and presence of costochondral thickening or what is referred to as ‘rachitic rosary’. Children with rickets aged 1-4 years old experience epiphyseal cartilage enlargements on the long bones and delayed walking. Older children and adolescents can experience pain upon walking and in worst cases it can result in ‘bowlegs’ or ‘knock-knees’.

Tetany that is caused by hypocalcemia may go along with vitamin D deficiency in infants and adults. This condition can lead to symptoms such as loss of feeling in the lip or tongue areas and the fingers, facial spasms, and at worst, seizures.

Recommended Daily Dose of Vitamin D

Doses or intake of vitamin D is determined according to age groups. These amounts are vital to maintain normal growth and bone health and also normal calcium metabolism in the body. The adequate intakes or AIs for vitamin D indicated are based on the supposition that the vitamin D is not synthesized by sunlight exposure.

From birth to age 13, the recommended AI for children is 5 mcg or 200 IU; for both males and females aged 14-50 years old, 5 mcg or 200 IU is needed; for both males and females aged 51-70 years of age, 10 mcg or 400 IU is required; both males and females reaching the age of 71 and up require 15 mcg or 600 IU of vitamin D. Pregnant and lactating mothers need 5 mcg or 200 IU of the vitamin.

Vitamin D Food Sources

Only a few food sources contain vitamin D. Best sources of vitamin D are fish meat and fish liver oils. There are also small amounts of vitamin D, in the form of vitamin D3, found in dairy products like cheese and egg as well as beef and liver. Some types of mushrooms also contain varying amounts of vitamin D2.

Common sources of vitamin D include the following:

* Cod liver oil

* Fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines

* Milk including non-fat, reduced fat, whole or vitamin D fortified

* Margarine

* Cereals

* Egg

* Beef liver

* Swiss cheese

* Fortified orange juice

* Fortified rice or soy beverage

The Need for Increased Amounts

Since obtaining sufficient amounts of vitamin D in the diet can be quite difficult, many people now consume vitamin D fortified foods in order to maintain a healthy dose of the vitamin. There are some groups however who need increased amounts of vitamin D:

* Breastfed infants because vitamin D cannot be supplied by breast milk alone

* Older people due to the fact that synthesis of vitamin D decreases with age and the ability of the kidney to convert vitamin D diminishes

* People with limited sun exposure especially those living in northern latitudes, those wearing robes or head covers or those with occupations that prevent them from having sun exposure

* People with dark skin as more skin pigments like melanin reduces the ability of the skin to produce vitamin D.

* People with fat malabsorption conditions such as Crohn’s disease, cystic fibrosis, liver and celiac disease or patients who have undergone surgical removal of any part of the stomach or intestine.

* People who are obese. An increased amount of subcutaneous fat can snatch more of the vitamin D and somehow alter its release in the circulation.

Interaction of Vitamin D with Prescribed Drugs

Vitamin D supplements have the tendency to react with certain types of prescription medications. These include the following:

* Steroids or corticosteroid medications like prednisone which can cause decreased calcium absorption and also damage the vitamin D metabolism process.
* Weight-loss medications such as orlistat and cholesterol-lowering drugs like cholestyramine also decrease the absorption of vitamin D and other fat-soluble vitamins.
* Phenobarbital and phenytoin increases vitamin D metabolism and decreases calcium absorption.

Vitamin Supplements – Do They Work?

vesta — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 09:05:59 +0000

Vitamin Supplementation is huge worldwide. Most of us take vitamins now or have taken vitamins in the past. The US ranks top in dietary supplementation globally. 18.9% of Americans had taken at least one dietary supplement in 2004. Over 100 million Americans use vitamin and mineral supplements everyday. The global market has become a multi-billion dollar industry and the dietary supplement sector is growing the fastest.

The most common reason for supplement use is “to improve overall health and general well being.” It is a popular belief that vitamins are antioxidants and can therefore protect us from oxidative stress that causes many health conditions.

The most common supplements taken are:
multivitamin/multiminerals – 22%;
multivitamins plus vitamin C – 15%;
vitamin C as a single vitamin – 13%;
herbal and botanical supplements – 7%;
vitamin E as a single vitamin – 6%.

Over the years, more and more reports on the health benefits of vitamin supplements have emerged, ranging from cardiovascular benefits to cancer prevention. This is mainly due to the antioxidant properties of vitamins that can protect us from oxidative stress. As a result several studies have been conducted to confirm these reports. Some of the latest studies summarized below reveal surprising results to say the least.

One of the very first studies to comprehensively investigate the health effects of vitamin supplements was conducted by Danish researchers in 2007. They performed a meta-analysis on data pooled from several clinical trials which used supplementation of the antioxidant vitamin A, vitamin E, beta-carotene, vitamin C and selenium used as stand-alone or as combination supplements to treat a wide range of health conditions, from cardiovascular disorders to cancer. Their results were a surprising, even troubling. For one, no benefits of these “antioxidant supplements” were found. Second, supplementation with vitamins A and E and beta-carotene (but not vitamin C and selenium) actually increased overall mortality. This study prompted other researchers to take a second look at the benefits of vitamin supplements.

In a more recent review paper, the same researchers performed another meta-analysis of more data from several clinical trials, this time involving over 200,000 people who are healthy as well as those with existing health conditions. The researchers only considered studies which compared the efficacy of antioxidant supplements against placebos in the primary and secondary prevention of different medical conditions. The authors reported that they “found no evidence to support antioxidant supplements for primary or secondary prevention. Vitamin A, beta-carotene, and vitamin E may increase mortality.”

Another meta-analysis investigated the anti-cancer properties of antioxidant supplements, particularly against gastrointestinal cancers. They looked at data of trials which studied beta-carotene, vitamins A, C, and E and selenium. The authors concluded that “we could not find convincing evidence that antioxidant supplements prevent gastrointestinal cancers.”

One of the most recent developments in vitamin supplement research is the long-term SELECT (Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial) study of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The study evaluated the efficacy of selenium and Vitamin E in preventing prostate cancer and enrolled 35,000 male participants in the US, Puerto Rico, and Canada. The participants were randomly assigned to one of 3 groups: group 1 were given vitamin E supplements only, group 2 were given only selenium, group 3 took both supplements in combination, and group 4 were given placebos only. Five years into the study, the NCI decided to stop the trial because of some “concerning” findings, namely:

1. The analysis found no lower risk of prostate cancer in men taking the supplements, either alone or together.

2. Men who were taking only vitamin E actually had a slightly higher risk of developing prostate cancer.

3. Men taking only selenium seemed to have a slightly higher risk of developing diabetes.

Another study evaluated the efficacy of combined folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 in reducing cancer risk among women. Their result show that combined folic acid, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 treatment had no significant effect on overall risk of total invasive cancer or breast cancer among women during the folic acid fortification era.

A study published in December 2008 evaluated whether vitamins C and E and beta carotene supplementation have an effect on overall cancer risk. The data was taken from the Women’s Antioxidant Cardiovascular Study and involved 8,171 women who were cancer-free at the start of the study about 9.4 years ago. The findings of the study showed that “supplementation with vitamin C, vitamin E, or beta carotene offers no overall benefits in the primary prevention of total cancer incidence or cancer mortality.”

The Women’s Health Initiative Calcium/Vitamin D Trial evaluated the effects of vitamin D and calcium supplements on blood pressure and risk for hypertension risk of 36,252 healthy postmenopausal women. The women were assigned in 2 groups: one group received a daily supplement of 1000 mg of calcium plus 400 IU of vitamin D3 daily. The other group received placebo only. The researchers reported that “in postmenopausal women, calcium plus vitamin D3 supplementation did not reduce either blood pressure or the risk of developing hypertension over 7 years of follow-up.”

The Physicians’ Health Study II evaluated whether vitamin E or vitamin C have cardioprotective properties that can reduce risk for CVD in men. A total of 14,641 American doctors were enrolled in the study, aged 50 years and older, and were followed up for 8 years. The study results showed that “neither vitamin E nor vitamin C supplementation reduced the risk of major cardiovascular events. These data provide no support for the use of these supplements for the prevention of cardiovascular disease in middle-aged and older men.”

This study evaluated whether antioxidant (vitamins E, C and/or beta-carotene) supplements can prevent atherosclerosis. The researchers performed a meta-analysis of 22 trials which involved 134,590 participants. The researcher conclude that “…the majority of studies included in this review does not support a possible role of antioxidant supplementation in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease … no definite conclusion can be drawn to justify the use of antioxidant vitamin supplements for the prevention of atherosclerotic events.”

Folic acid is routinely prescribed for pregnant women to prevent birth defects such as spina bifida. It has also been thought that folic acid, which reduced the levels of homocysteine in the blood, can prevent cardiovascular disease. Homocysteine is an amino acid used as biomarker for cardiovascular disorder. This trial investigated whether a vitamin combination pill with folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 (vs. a placebo) can reduce cardiovascular risk. It enrolled more than 5,400 American women with a history of cardiovascular disease or with moderate to high risk profile for ccardiovascular disease. After 7.3 years of treatment and follow-up, a combination pill of folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 did not reduce a combined end point of total cardiovascular events among high-risk women, despite significant homocysteine lowering.

While most of the evidence from studies summarized here does not seem to support the health benefits of vitamin supplements, there are some studies which indicate that vitamin D supplementation is worthwhile, even essential. Vitamin D is unique because we cannot get our vitamin D requirements from food alone. Instead, vitamin D is synthesized by the body upon exposure of the skin to the sun, thus earning it the title “sun vitamin.” However, since the sun is said to cause skin cancer, people tend to avoid exposure leading to widespread vitamin D deficiency.

American health experts are convinced of the necessity of vitamin D supplements and thus, routinely prescribe vitamin D supplements even for newborn babies. Milk and other dairy products in the US are fortified with vitamin D but not in many parts of the world. Last year, the American Academy of Pediatrics updated its guidelines for vitamin D supplementation to recommend the doubling of the dose for babies and children from 200 IU to 400 IU per day.

According to a review paper, “vitamin D is not only important for calcium metabolism and maintenance of bone health throughout life, but also plays an important role in reducing risk of many chronic diseases including type I diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, deadly cancers, heart disease and infectious diseases.”

In summary, antioxidants in fresh fruit and vegetables have been shown to have extensive health benefits. Unfortunately, except for vitamin D, the use of vitamin and mineral supplementation does not seem to reproduce the protective effect of natural food stuffs, as shown by many different studies summarized here. Worse, some studies even suggest that vitamin supplementation can actually increase risk for certain health conditions and mortalities. Most of the studies cited were long-term randomized, placebo-controlled trials involving thousands of participants. The data they presented are therefore, highly reliable.

The antioxidant supplement pill fits in quite nicely in this era of convenience food and lifestyle on the go. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like a real healthy lifestyle and convenience can go hand in hand. The take home message is, when it comes to nutrition, there is no substitute for natural food stuff. Nature is still the best source of our nutritional needs.

Question about vitaminsWhat is the best vitamins to help hair grow stronger and longer faster?
What is the best vitamin out of vitamin B, vitamin B-3, Biotin, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12, Biotin and Niacin? I want my hair to grow longer. I have heaps of split ends and I haven't used the straightner in 6 weeks and during that period of time I've had to have my hair trim 3 times. Any ideas which of the above vitamins would help the best?