If you're like me, you first heard about nutrition in school, and thought, "boring." All the dietary facts and statistics are like dates and events in History class. Once we start learning why the events happened, history becomes interesting and relevant to us now. When we learn why it's important for our current and future lives, good nutrition goes from boring to interesting and essential. Forget the boring details, this article is all about how to keep from having a weak and tired, mentally slow, impoverished, diseased, short life...now you're interested!
Forget Nutritional Values: Most health articles are all about how much of this you should have or that to avoid...what is good and what is bad. You can find that anywhere. Until you know why that stuff is important, none of it matters. It just sounds like someone lecturing you on how to live. I don't know about you, but I'm too busy living to want to spend much time being preached at. People preached at me for years about smoking being bad for me, but until I experienced what it was actually doing to me, I wasn't interested in quitting. Once I knew why to quit, how to quit was easy. Once you know why to have good nutrition, how to do it will be easy, too.
Nutrition And Energy Now: Stop drinking liquids for 2 days and tell me how you feel. Tired? Go 3 days and you'll be dead. Water is essential. Every nutrient works the same as water on a slower scale. The worse your nutrition is, the less energy you will have to live your life. When we're young, we can usually go a long while before we crash, but the crash is certain if we don't have a balanced, healthy diet. When we're older, we can feel the crash coming...trust me. The first thing nutrition does for you is give you energy for the physical activities of life, today.
Nutrition And Mental Ability: It isn't just for physical activities. How fast you learn and whether you can work through thinking problems all depend on good nutrition. Deficiencies in some cases can actually cause you to have the symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease, or Schizophrenia, for example. By maintaining good nutrition, you can improve your ability to learn and process information. Tests of students at all age levels have confirmed this. Mental ability has to do with more than learning facts and solving problems, though. Social success depends on picking up and understanding subtle clues. Often, people are considered slow because poor nutrition causes them to miss those clues and react inappropriately. If you've ever been laughed at by your peers, it's possible a good diet can help prevent that.
Nutrition And Income: Energy, mental ability, education and social skills all combine to determine how we do in the business world. Since all of these things can be improved, the relationship is obvious between good nutrition and how much money or satisfaction you have, professionally. One executive put it this way, "It isn't that people are angry, uncooperative and don't want to work, it's just that they're ill due to their poor nutrition choices." Diet changes your emotions; how you see things, how you react to things, what you feel. It's no accident that some executive interviews occur over a meal. Employers know that people who follow good nutritional habits are better, more productive, more cooperative, healthier employees.
Nutrition And Disease: It's probably very obvious to most people that poor diet and disease are related. Many major diseases, like heart disease and diabetes, have been linked to nutrients for most of our lives. What isn't as obvious is the link between good nutrition in general and almost every disease, from the common cold and flu, to cancer. Good, balanced nutrients give your body what it needs to fight off minor colds and the terrible, frightening, crippling and life-threatening diseases. Even if you have a genetic pre-disposition toward certain diseases, good nutrition can reduce the risk of actually getting most of them. Daily, scientists are finding more and more evidence of the importance of diet in fighting, preventing and curing diseases.
Nutrition And Long, Quality Life: I guess it's obvious if the above is true, your life will be longer. Many studies over the past 6 decades have confirmed a strong relationship between nutrition and longevity. They've also found that the quality of life is greatly enhanced.
Why is nutrition important? Because you can have more energy, more mental ability, more money, less disease and more life by simply making sure you have a good, balanced intake of nutrients. Now that you know why, here's a resource for information on the what and how of good nutrition. Knowing why it's important will help you navigate the sea of information on vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, antioxidants and everything else that's out there. Enjoy!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1023077
Chemistry, Nutritional Supplements Or Whole Foods - To Maintain the Health Tripod, Body-Mind-Spirit. #Nutrition
Increasingly, as if there is a "new" discovery parade for the latest cure-all, probiotics have come again to the forefront. As I read the varying articles and studies, I am struck by how far afield we have come from normal, common sense.
In order to maintain a healthy body, there is a tripod of health: body, mind, and spirit. Knock out one leg of that stool, and the stool topples over. Probiotics, diet, dietary supplements address only the "body" leg of the health tripod. So let's start there.
Anything taken externally, whether it is natural or medical (chemical or surgical) in support of the physical, has only ever been intended as temporary support until we have regained or achieved the necessary consciousness to support complete and perfect health; much as you might use a crutch to recover from a broken leg. When the leg is healed, we throw the crutch away as we should throw the supplements and medications away.
The body knows how to be well and healthy, as this is its natural and inherent state. Think of all the times you've had a cold, or the flu or a cut or bruise. They always go away. The body, created by Infinite Intelligence, does not need to know how to be well, but rather is always striving to return to health, its normal set-point. Our job, as a conscious human being, is to make the choices - all of our choices - that support Life. That is to say choices that are probiotic.
These choices, if we are living naturally and following our internal prompts, always feel good, fun, joyful, and delicious. The body, itself, tells us what it needs with respect to nutrition; and we, if we are listening and aware, then eat those foods. The body tells us when it is tired and needs rest; if we are listening and living naturally, we fall asleep and awaken refreshed. The body tells us when it is cold; and if we are listening, we go inside, don a coat or sit by the fire. The body tells us when we are full; if we are listening, we stop eating, pleasantly satiated. The body because of its Innate Intelligence - the Life Force that enlivens it, is constantly directing us if we are listening.
This same Innate Intelligence or Life Force is present in all living things: animal, vegetable and mineral. It quite simply is the "spirit" leg of the heath tripod. So it is essential that we pay attention to the still small voice within guiding us in all things, including health, always towards our good.
The "mental" component of the tripod is where all the trouble begins and ends. The human mind with its hubris and arrogance believes that it is the infinite intelligence rather than our spirit Infinite Intelligence (knowing). The human mind is what confounds and complicates everything, over-shouting the still small voice every chance it gets. The human mind will argue with the information of Innate Intelligence that we don't have time to eat, or we can't afford to eat healthy food, or that we don't have time to be home resting. The human mind will argue that a vitamin supplement is a quick fix, that a "professional" knows more than I do; that in a decision between ethics and money, money wins. The human mind will tell you to stay in the job your hate, because the money is good; and it will tell you to take the "safe" road, because it is afraid and lives in the land of Lack. These are the decisions that we make every day that lead us into life styles and relationships that are as toxic to the body and chemicals are.
For example, as science attempts to unravel the secrets of good nutrition and health, they omit or ignore or discount the concept of Infinite Intelligence or Life Force, because they don't understand It and cannot quantify It. Therefore, they believe that by isolating certain nutrients, that the benefits of that nutrient are complete in relationship to the biological body and cells. For example, scientists study, let's say, Vitamin C. They isolate it out from its original state that it is found in, let's say, an orange. They identify it by its chemical composition and name it Vitamin C of a certain type. Then a nutritional company or a drug company will duplicate that chemical complex and manufacture it synthetically and patent it. Why? Because you cannot patent the Vitamin C in an orange, but if you create your own synthetic clone of it, you can patent that and then sell it as "a vitamin supplement". It's about money; and the marketing is about making you believe - contrary to your own knowing and Innate Intelligence (common sense), that it's better to buy the pill rather than simply eat the whole food, the orange. This whole process is the human mind process; not common sense, not Innate Intelligence, and not your Knowing.
This brings us back to the "body" portion of the health tripod. All the things we do to and for the physical body to maintain or to regain physical health. These things include medicine, alternative therapies, nutrition, supplements, and the food we eat.
So let's go back to the clone of Vitamin C which is not Real Vitamin C. First of all, it has been separated out of its natural habitat of the orange and no longer has the synergistic benefits of all the other nutrients found within that Infinite Intelligence-created orange. The other nutrients within the orange were gathered together by Infinite Intelligence in the orange with the Vitamin C to work together one with the other - like a symphony shall we say. All together they release their blessings of nutrition to the consumer in a concert. One triggers the other, one enhances the other, and within the human body, they trigger certain enzymes or other mechanism to break it down and with nutritional perfection and elegant harmony are absorbed into the body where they nourish and sustains the cells, the fundamental building block of the body. This is the symphony of naturally occurring whole foods in the act of nourishing the living body. The clone has no idea of the music.
While it is not quite the stuff of Frankenstein for science to understand food and nutrition in relationship to the human body, it is when these elements are separated out from the Whole Picture and peddled to convey the same efficacy as the Real thing, which they cannot do. Recall for a minute the actual Frankenstein creation: he was patchwork parody of the Real human, not elegantly Real.
When these synthetically created nutritional clones are ingested into the Real body, the body in fact does not recognize them and either sloughs them off (every wondered why your urine is so bright yellow when you're taking vitamin supplements ) or they are treated as toxins. If the body identifies them as toxins (foreign substance), it will attempt to eliminate it from the body or surround it with fat cells much like putting the bad guy into solitary confinement. [Did you ever wonder why we are so fat in such large numbers?] Seems to me, via common sense, my own Innate Intelligence just like yours, that the more toxins - synthetically/chemically produced foods (neo-nutrition) we consume, the more toxins the body is attempting to cope with and so produces the fat to surround and contain them to protect the vital organs of the body. The living body's single imperative, after all, is to live. This is basic biology 101.
The rube is that most of the food available for consumption grown here in the United States is synthetically altered in some fashion. First the seed, itself, is genetically modified from its original Infinite Intelligent state. Monsanto has done a grave and potentially catastrophic disservice to the world by altering seed - again for the reason of patent - so that now farmers have to buy seed every year.
Haven't you noticed that you can't grow a new corn crop from the old corn seed or that this year's tomato seed will not grow a next generation of tomato? My own Innate knowing noticed this phenomenon years ago and thought then that this was very strange. Especially when the natural process of pollination would have eventually - by evolution - evolved a new seed that was adapted to a particular climate or locality or pest. Once again, it is the mandate of all living things - Life Force, Innate Intelligence - to Live. And in so doing, living naturally and organically, every living thing will change and become naturally stronger and more resilient to its environmental challenges or perish. In the human body, this job is particularly handled by the immune system.
All you have to do is look to the cock roach to see the amazing ability of Infinite Intelligence to adapt for Life (probiotic). It is this very process of adapting and changing to environmental challenges - evolution they called it in high school - that creates the very nutrition - antioxidants for example - that we ingest through eating a whole food, that helps our bodies meet their own environmental challenges.
However, as a result of these genetically modified seeds that require chemicals in the form or herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers to grow, the essential nutrition that we require to be healthy is now absent from these food; and in addition, these foods contain more toxins (synthetic chemicals) that we ingest into our bodies. These are not whole foods; they are corrupted foods.
As a result of these corruptive foods, the front line digestive and immune systems are seriously compromised. When the digestive system is compromised, we cannot be nourished. When the immune system is compromised, we fight disease.
This is where the recent surge in demand for organically grown, non-genetically modified foods has arisen. Simply put, organic, whole, Real foods contain more potent and available nutrition for our bodies to use; and they come complete with Innate Life Force as well as without toxins. Studies prove that these foods are as much as 60% higher in available nutrition than industrially grown foods.
The long term effects of synthetically grown foods are now evident by the number of Americans who are sick. Diabetes has become a "life style" complete with its own magazines for diabetic living. Immune diseases are epidemic: multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome to name but a few and not to mention cancer and heart-related disease. Every one of these dis-eases can be directly traced back to our food supply and the resulting epidemic of malnutrition in Americans and the toxin load.
Better living cannot be found through chemistry when it comes to health, food, nutrition and the environment. Synthetic chemistry and its manipulation for profit makes corporations rich, farmers poor, and kills people.
By about 40 years of age, the body begins to show the effects of this deadly combination of slow poisoning with the accumulation of toxins compounded by years of malnourishment. The drip, drip, drip effect reaches critical mass and the body cannot manage any more, cannot cope, and begins to break down showing myriad symptoms of dis-ease. Nutrition is what the body uses to repair and rejuvenate itself, but without the proper nutrition derived from whole foods, the cells themselves cannot restore, renew or replenish to their natural state of health. Toss on the load of accumulated toxins, and it is, "Houston, we have a problem."
This brings us to rebalancing the Health Tripod.
The medical world has evolved into a lucrative business of treating symptoms of disease with more synthetic drugs with no intention of addressing the cause. It is a mindset of sickness, not wellness. At its core medicine believes neither in the fundamental Infinite Intelligence of the body nor its ability to heal itself. But rather as its centerpiece are sickness, disease and decay.
Alternative health methodologies are more inclined to honor the Infinite Intelligence of the body and treat symptoms of dies-ease with probiotic methods: moving energy (Life Force) in the body, support with herbs and nutrition in addressing the physical complaint. In addition most of these modalities will, to greater or lesser degrees, address the other two legs of the Tripod: mind and spirit as well. All these methods are good for you, as long as the mind leg of the tripod believes and knows this as well. If you do not believe in the Infinite Intelligence of your body, you should opt for medical treatment.
As a result of the medical model heavily influencing our Western thought, even alternative therapies have adopted "medicine-like" models for treatment of dies-ease, such as prescribing supplements and herbal remedies for regular use. But these should not be taken as "medicine" on a long term basis, but rather used intermittently to support the body until body/mind/spirit regains balance.
This brings us to the current phase in American healthcare, which is the onslaught of "natural supplements". But once again, the consumer must be educated and cautious, as some of these are the products of the chemical laboratory too, and not the products of whole grown food. As previously discussed, these "nutritions" when isolated from their synergistic fellows in the whole food form do not supply the same healthful effects to the body. They are often more chemistry and always without the support of the rest of the nutritional army found in a whole food. This is largely what you see on the shelves at the drug store, the vitamin store and online. They are a poor relation to natural whole food nutrition. And remember, the body may identify these as toxins as well, sloughing them off or storing them in fat, but certainly not imparting any Real nutrition to the body for use.
Here is where the consumer must take responsibility for his/her own health and come to understand the options clearly: synthetic chemistry, synthetic supplements, or whole organic food and whole food superfood supplements.
No longer can we afford to be ignorant of what is being offered to us out there for "health" benefits. You must be intelligent and use your own good common sense for regaining and maintaining optimum health.
Two things are required, fundamental and essential, for complete and perfect health: 1. complete pure untainted available nutrition; 2. the body's ability to process and absorb the nutrients.
1. Complete, pure and untainted nutrition comes from organically grown whole foods, period.
a. Buy organically grown/raised foods whenever and wherever possible in the widest variety possible. Try growing some of your own. There's a reason that foods are available with seasonality. Infinite Intelligence has provided us the vast and complete range of nutrients our bodies need for cellular health with a veritable buffet of foods: animal, vegetable, and fruits in balance and moderation, and more importantly, as your body uniquely informs you.
b. When buying a supplement, you must determine that it is, in fact, a whole food supplement. Often times these are called superfoods. A working definition of superfood might be any food that is high in enzymes, phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals, Chlorophyll, and antioxidants. In a perfect world the goal would be to be free of anything manufactured and obtain complete nutrition from your wide spectrum variety of whole food selections. A word of warning: be certain that the whole food supplement, the superfood, is organic.
2. Probiotics are essential to the absorption and assimilation of whole food nutrition.
1. First of all, the "new" probiotic supplements are not some new invention or creation of modern science. They are natural, living organisms that are found in the intestinal tract. In fact, they are found in the intestinal tract of every creature that digests food and makes waste. Probiotics (good bacteria) are provided to us naturally by Infinite Intelligence in whole plant foods (vegetables, fruits and grains).
2. It is most important to understand, is that probiotics are living organisms with a life, a function and a mission. Their function is perhaps to say they are the front line troops of your body's immune system. In the digestive tract it is their job to keep any "bad" bacteria in check. When "bad" bacteria are out of balance and in control, the body cannot absorb nor assimilate the nutrition required for Innate Intelligence to restore the body to complete and perfect health
3. Probiotics aid in the digestion and elimination of waste materials from the body. If the body is not eliminating its own waste and toxins, they are stored, via fat; and in the colon, if not eliminated completely, set up an environment of decay: the perfect culture for dis-ease.
4. Warning: probiotic is word being used on labels now to get you to buy.
First, the product itself must be organic (yogurt, kefir, kambucha). Second the cultures must be LIVE.
5. If you are purchasing a superfood enriched with probiotics as a dietary supplement (addition); then once again, be certain that the superfood is organic and that the probiotics have been cultured in the sun (not killed by heat); and that they haven't been cultured from fecal matter.
Just like with vitamin supplements, manufactured probiotics are present in the market place as well. When a manufacturer can identify a probiotic in nature (in food), it isolates it by its chemical composition and manufactures it synthetically, patents it and gives it a patented name. As with synthetically created vitamins, patented probiotics will be treated by the body as yet another foreign substance. The body then has to either discharge and eliminate it, or store it in fat. The supposed "cure" has just added to the problem.
Since the digestive system is the most critical place where nutrition is either absorbed and assimilated and made available for cellular health or not, this is a particularly sinister place to introduce synthetics, because neither will the nutrition be made available to the body nor should the body have to cope with yet another chemical impostor of the Real.
It is appalling to me that we find ourselves in this place in the year 2008. What's more I cannot understand how we could be so morally bankrupt as to arrive at methodically poisoning our people for the sake of money. But the truth of the matter is that each of us has to take charge of our own health and wellness and no longer entrust it to "others."
The formula to regain and maintain health until you die is simple: body, mind, spirit. And the rule is that when any one of the three becomes out of balance, the stool falls.
You most probably will address your health only when you notice a physical symptom, but that is your opportunity to address the mind and spirit aspects of your life, as well; for one or both of those aspects are out of sync if your body is ill.
We are an integrated being. Just as the knee bone is connected to the shin bone, the body is connected to the mind is connected to the spirit. The body is merely the casing that contains mind and spirit for a physical adventure here on earth; and I think you will agree that without health, the physical experience is less than optimal, to be sure.
If you are trying to regain (or maintain) your God-given state of complete and perfect health, by all means use what methods and practices that you feel are correct and appropriate to support your physicality whilst you do the necessary explorations in mindset and spirit, bringing you back to your perfectly balanced Health Tripod.
What we think, what we believe is what we experience. With the experience of something that is unpleasant and not fulfilling comes the opportunity to release the beliefs and mindsets that got us here, and to choose new thoughts and new ideas that are probiotic - pro Life - and support us in complete and perfect health. The Whole Tripod.
One final note: we are dynamic beings, therefore constantly changing. The requirement to pay attention (be aware) and make conscious choices moment to moment is the essential job of spirituality and self-mastery, which a life long process. You never get it done.
Applying your spirit, listening to the Innate Intelligence within, will always lead you to your good. Always.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1222800
In order to maintain a healthy body, there is a tripod of health: body, mind, and spirit. Knock out one leg of that stool, and the stool topples over. Probiotics, diet, dietary supplements address only the "body" leg of the health tripod. So let's start there.
Anything taken externally, whether it is natural or medical (chemical or surgical) in support of the physical, has only ever been intended as temporary support until we have regained or achieved the necessary consciousness to support complete and perfect health; much as you might use a crutch to recover from a broken leg. When the leg is healed, we throw the crutch away as we should throw the supplements and medications away.
The body knows how to be well and healthy, as this is its natural and inherent state. Think of all the times you've had a cold, or the flu or a cut or bruise. They always go away. The body, created by Infinite Intelligence, does not need to know how to be well, but rather is always striving to return to health, its normal set-point. Our job, as a conscious human being, is to make the choices - all of our choices - that support Life. That is to say choices that are probiotic.
These choices, if we are living naturally and following our internal prompts, always feel good, fun, joyful, and delicious. The body, itself, tells us what it needs with respect to nutrition; and we, if we are listening and aware, then eat those foods. The body tells us when it is tired and needs rest; if we are listening and living naturally, we fall asleep and awaken refreshed. The body tells us when it is cold; and if we are listening, we go inside, don a coat or sit by the fire. The body tells us when we are full; if we are listening, we stop eating, pleasantly satiated. The body because of its Innate Intelligence - the Life Force that enlivens it, is constantly directing us if we are listening.
This same Innate Intelligence or Life Force is present in all living things: animal, vegetable and mineral. It quite simply is the "spirit" leg of the heath tripod. So it is essential that we pay attention to the still small voice within guiding us in all things, including health, always towards our good.
The "mental" component of the tripod is where all the trouble begins and ends. The human mind with its hubris and arrogance believes that it is the infinite intelligence rather than our spirit Infinite Intelligence (knowing). The human mind is what confounds and complicates everything, over-shouting the still small voice every chance it gets. The human mind will argue with the information of Innate Intelligence that we don't have time to eat, or we can't afford to eat healthy food, or that we don't have time to be home resting. The human mind will argue that a vitamin supplement is a quick fix, that a "professional" knows more than I do; that in a decision between ethics and money, money wins. The human mind will tell you to stay in the job your hate, because the money is good; and it will tell you to take the "safe" road, because it is afraid and lives in the land of Lack. These are the decisions that we make every day that lead us into life styles and relationships that are as toxic to the body and chemicals are.
For example, as science attempts to unravel the secrets of good nutrition and health, they omit or ignore or discount the concept of Infinite Intelligence or Life Force, because they don't understand It and cannot quantify It. Therefore, they believe that by isolating certain nutrients, that the benefits of that nutrient are complete in relationship to the biological body and cells. For example, scientists study, let's say, Vitamin C. They isolate it out from its original state that it is found in, let's say, an orange. They identify it by its chemical composition and name it Vitamin C of a certain type. Then a nutritional company or a drug company will duplicate that chemical complex and manufacture it synthetically and patent it. Why? Because you cannot patent the Vitamin C in an orange, but if you create your own synthetic clone of it, you can patent that and then sell it as "a vitamin supplement". It's about money; and the marketing is about making you believe - contrary to your own knowing and Innate Intelligence (common sense), that it's better to buy the pill rather than simply eat the whole food, the orange. This whole process is the human mind process; not common sense, not Innate Intelligence, and not your Knowing.
This brings us back to the "body" portion of the health tripod. All the things we do to and for the physical body to maintain or to regain physical health. These things include medicine, alternative therapies, nutrition, supplements, and the food we eat.
So let's go back to the clone of Vitamin C which is not Real Vitamin C. First of all, it has been separated out of its natural habitat of the orange and no longer has the synergistic benefits of all the other nutrients found within that Infinite Intelligence-created orange. The other nutrients within the orange were gathered together by Infinite Intelligence in the orange with the Vitamin C to work together one with the other - like a symphony shall we say. All together they release their blessings of nutrition to the consumer in a concert. One triggers the other, one enhances the other, and within the human body, they trigger certain enzymes or other mechanism to break it down and with nutritional perfection and elegant harmony are absorbed into the body where they nourish and sustains the cells, the fundamental building block of the body. This is the symphony of naturally occurring whole foods in the act of nourishing the living body. The clone has no idea of the music.
While it is not quite the stuff of Frankenstein for science to understand food and nutrition in relationship to the human body, it is when these elements are separated out from the Whole Picture and peddled to convey the same efficacy as the Real thing, which they cannot do. Recall for a minute the actual Frankenstein creation: he was patchwork parody of the Real human, not elegantly Real.
When these synthetically created nutritional clones are ingested into the Real body, the body in fact does not recognize them and either sloughs them off (every wondered why your urine is so bright yellow when you're taking vitamin supplements ) or they are treated as toxins. If the body identifies them as toxins (foreign substance), it will attempt to eliminate it from the body or surround it with fat cells much like putting the bad guy into solitary confinement. [Did you ever wonder why we are so fat in such large numbers?] Seems to me, via common sense, my own Innate Intelligence just like yours, that the more toxins - synthetically/chemically produced foods (neo-nutrition) we consume, the more toxins the body is attempting to cope with and so produces the fat to surround and contain them to protect the vital organs of the body. The living body's single imperative, after all, is to live. This is basic biology 101.
The rube is that most of the food available for consumption grown here in the United States is synthetically altered in some fashion. First the seed, itself, is genetically modified from its original Infinite Intelligent state. Monsanto has done a grave and potentially catastrophic disservice to the world by altering seed - again for the reason of patent - so that now farmers have to buy seed every year.
Haven't you noticed that you can't grow a new corn crop from the old corn seed or that this year's tomato seed will not grow a next generation of tomato? My own Innate knowing noticed this phenomenon years ago and thought then that this was very strange. Especially when the natural process of pollination would have eventually - by evolution - evolved a new seed that was adapted to a particular climate or locality or pest. Once again, it is the mandate of all living things - Life Force, Innate Intelligence - to Live. And in so doing, living naturally and organically, every living thing will change and become naturally stronger and more resilient to its environmental challenges or perish. In the human body, this job is particularly handled by the immune system.
All you have to do is look to the cock roach to see the amazing ability of Infinite Intelligence to adapt for Life (probiotic). It is this very process of adapting and changing to environmental challenges - evolution they called it in high school - that creates the very nutrition - antioxidants for example - that we ingest through eating a whole food, that helps our bodies meet their own environmental challenges.
However, as a result of these genetically modified seeds that require chemicals in the form or herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers to grow, the essential nutrition that we require to be healthy is now absent from these food; and in addition, these foods contain more toxins (synthetic chemicals) that we ingest into our bodies. These are not whole foods; they are corrupted foods.
As a result of these corruptive foods, the front line digestive and immune systems are seriously compromised. When the digestive system is compromised, we cannot be nourished. When the immune system is compromised, we fight disease.
This is where the recent surge in demand for organically grown, non-genetically modified foods has arisen. Simply put, organic, whole, Real foods contain more potent and available nutrition for our bodies to use; and they come complete with Innate Life Force as well as without toxins. Studies prove that these foods are as much as 60% higher in available nutrition than industrially grown foods.
The long term effects of synthetically grown foods are now evident by the number of Americans who are sick. Diabetes has become a "life style" complete with its own magazines for diabetic living. Immune diseases are epidemic: multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome to name but a few and not to mention cancer and heart-related disease. Every one of these dis-eases can be directly traced back to our food supply and the resulting epidemic of malnutrition in Americans and the toxin load.
Better living cannot be found through chemistry when it comes to health, food, nutrition and the environment. Synthetic chemistry and its manipulation for profit makes corporations rich, farmers poor, and kills people.
By about 40 years of age, the body begins to show the effects of this deadly combination of slow poisoning with the accumulation of toxins compounded by years of malnourishment. The drip, drip, drip effect reaches critical mass and the body cannot manage any more, cannot cope, and begins to break down showing myriad symptoms of dis-ease. Nutrition is what the body uses to repair and rejuvenate itself, but without the proper nutrition derived from whole foods, the cells themselves cannot restore, renew or replenish to their natural state of health. Toss on the load of accumulated toxins, and it is, "Houston, we have a problem."
This brings us to rebalancing the Health Tripod.
The medical world has evolved into a lucrative business of treating symptoms of disease with more synthetic drugs with no intention of addressing the cause. It is a mindset of sickness, not wellness. At its core medicine believes neither in the fundamental Infinite Intelligence of the body nor its ability to heal itself. But rather as its centerpiece are sickness, disease and decay.
Alternative health methodologies are more inclined to honor the Infinite Intelligence of the body and treat symptoms of dies-ease with probiotic methods: moving energy (Life Force) in the body, support with herbs and nutrition in addressing the physical complaint. In addition most of these modalities will, to greater or lesser degrees, address the other two legs of the Tripod: mind and spirit as well. All these methods are good for you, as long as the mind leg of the tripod believes and knows this as well. If you do not believe in the Infinite Intelligence of your body, you should opt for medical treatment.
As a result of the medical model heavily influencing our Western thought, even alternative therapies have adopted "medicine-like" models for treatment of dies-ease, such as prescribing supplements and herbal remedies for regular use. But these should not be taken as "medicine" on a long term basis, but rather used intermittently to support the body until body/mind/spirit regains balance.
This brings us to the current phase in American healthcare, which is the onslaught of "natural supplements". But once again, the consumer must be educated and cautious, as some of these are the products of the chemical laboratory too, and not the products of whole grown food. As previously discussed, these "nutritions" when isolated from their synergistic fellows in the whole food form do not supply the same healthful effects to the body. They are often more chemistry and always without the support of the rest of the nutritional army found in a whole food. This is largely what you see on the shelves at the drug store, the vitamin store and online. They are a poor relation to natural whole food nutrition. And remember, the body may identify these as toxins as well, sloughing them off or storing them in fat, but certainly not imparting any Real nutrition to the body for use.
Here is where the consumer must take responsibility for his/her own health and come to understand the options clearly: synthetic chemistry, synthetic supplements, or whole organic food and whole food superfood supplements.
No longer can we afford to be ignorant of what is being offered to us out there for "health" benefits. You must be intelligent and use your own good common sense for regaining and maintaining optimum health.
Two things are required, fundamental and essential, for complete and perfect health: 1. complete pure untainted available nutrition; 2. the body's ability to process and absorb the nutrients.
1. Complete, pure and untainted nutrition comes from organically grown whole foods, period.
a. Buy organically grown/raised foods whenever and wherever possible in the widest variety possible. Try growing some of your own. There's a reason that foods are available with seasonality. Infinite Intelligence has provided us the vast and complete range of nutrients our bodies need for cellular health with a veritable buffet of foods: animal, vegetable, and fruits in balance and moderation, and more importantly, as your body uniquely informs you.
b. When buying a supplement, you must determine that it is, in fact, a whole food supplement. Often times these are called superfoods. A working definition of superfood might be any food that is high in enzymes, phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals, Chlorophyll, and antioxidants. In a perfect world the goal would be to be free of anything manufactured and obtain complete nutrition from your wide spectrum variety of whole food selections. A word of warning: be certain that the whole food supplement, the superfood, is organic.
2. Probiotics are essential to the absorption and assimilation of whole food nutrition.
1. First of all, the "new" probiotic supplements are not some new invention or creation of modern science. They are natural, living organisms that are found in the intestinal tract. In fact, they are found in the intestinal tract of every creature that digests food and makes waste. Probiotics (good bacteria) are provided to us naturally by Infinite Intelligence in whole plant foods (vegetables, fruits and grains).
2. It is most important to understand, is that probiotics are living organisms with a life, a function and a mission. Their function is perhaps to say they are the front line troops of your body's immune system. In the digestive tract it is their job to keep any "bad" bacteria in check. When "bad" bacteria are out of balance and in control, the body cannot absorb nor assimilate the nutrition required for Innate Intelligence to restore the body to complete and perfect health
3. Probiotics aid in the digestion and elimination of waste materials from the body. If the body is not eliminating its own waste and toxins, they are stored, via fat; and in the colon, if not eliminated completely, set up an environment of decay: the perfect culture for dis-ease.
4. Warning: probiotic is word being used on labels now to get you to buy.
First, the product itself must be organic (yogurt, kefir, kambucha). Second the cultures must be LIVE.
5. If you are purchasing a superfood enriched with probiotics as a dietary supplement (addition); then once again, be certain that the superfood is organic and that the probiotics have been cultured in the sun (not killed by heat); and that they haven't been cultured from fecal matter.
Just like with vitamin supplements, manufactured probiotics are present in the market place as well. When a manufacturer can identify a probiotic in nature (in food), it isolates it by its chemical composition and manufactures it synthetically, patents it and gives it a patented name. As with synthetically created vitamins, patented probiotics will be treated by the body as yet another foreign substance. The body then has to either discharge and eliminate it, or store it in fat. The supposed "cure" has just added to the problem.
Since the digestive system is the most critical place where nutrition is either absorbed and assimilated and made available for cellular health or not, this is a particularly sinister place to introduce synthetics, because neither will the nutrition be made available to the body nor should the body have to cope with yet another chemical impostor of the Real.
It is appalling to me that we find ourselves in this place in the year 2008. What's more I cannot understand how we could be so morally bankrupt as to arrive at methodically poisoning our people for the sake of money. But the truth of the matter is that each of us has to take charge of our own health and wellness and no longer entrust it to "others."
The formula to regain and maintain health until you die is simple: body, mind, spirit. And the rule is that when any one of the three becomes out of balance, the stool falls.
You most probably will address your health only when you notice a physical symptom, but that is your opportunity to address the mind and spirit aspects of your life, as well; for one or both of those aspects are out of sync if your body is ill.
We are an integrated being. Just as the knee bone is connected to the shin bone, the body is connected to the mind is connected to the spirit. The body is merely the casing that contains mind and spirit for a physical adventure here on earth; and I think you will agree that without health, the physical experience is less than optimal, to be sure.
If you are trying to regain (or maintain) your God-given state of complete and perfect health, by all means use what methods and practices that you feel are correct and appropriate to support your physicality whilst you do the necessary explorations in mindset and spirit, bringing you back to your perfectly balanced Health Tripod.
What we think, what we believe is what we experience. With the experience of something that is unpleasant and not fulfilling comes the opportunity to release the beliefs and mindsets that got us here, and to choose new thoughts and new ideas that are probiotic - pro Life - and support us in complete and perfect health. The Whole Tripod.
One final note: we are dynamic beings, therefore constantly changing. The requirement to pay attention (be aware) and make conscious choices moment to moment is the essential job of spirituality and self-mastery, which a life long process. You never get it done.
Applying your spirit, listening to the Innate Intelligence within, will always lead you to your good. Always.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1222800
What Are the Most Important Things in a Nutrition Program? #Nutrition
Nutrition program can be defined as a process of taking in or consuming healthy and growth supporting food. With the changing lifestyle in urban areas every other person is surrounded with junk food or fast food temptation, but none of those unfit food stuff works the way a balanced diet does.
A good or balanced nutrition for healthy living is a benefit for every age type, especially for those spending hours in gym or other physical activities. It is a well known fact that nutritional diet intake is full of benefits for every category of people and supports growth in teenagers and kids, while helping in maintaining healthy and fit body in adults.
Before going to nutrition filled food and the important things in a nutrition program, you need to understand that nutrition does not only mean having lots of protein through the day or throwing calories away from your life or to skip a meal or to eat less. Nutrition or nutrition program is a process where a complete combination of all the nutrients should be present in day to day diet i.e. you can not just skip carbohydrates or fat from your food intake.
Mostly people involved in workouts tend to suffer from weakness and late post-workout recovery due to incomplete nutrition intake. You may be having protein supplements, but your body will still be lacking in nutrition for the absence of other vital ingredients of a perfect nutrition program. A human body needs a well balanced combination of the three main ingredients of a nutrition program .i.e. protein, carbohydrate and fat. Along with these three main components, a nutrition program also consists of vitamins, minerals and adequate amount of water intake.
A good nutrition program consist of vital steps or things to be taken care of, as it helps to ensure that the body is getting complete nutrition and does not lacks in any of the key ingredient. But, there are also things not to be done to balance and succeed in your nutritional intake. These 'not to do' things say - do not begin a nutrition program without a physical activity like exercising or cycling or brisk walking, do not skip your meals (breakfast or lunch or dinner), do not depend only on supplements and substitutes for losing weight or gaining muscle strength and do not skip or minus any of the three main ingredients mentioned.
Another big mistake people tend to make in the name of nutrition intake or nutritious diet is by eating less or staying on fast through the day (with nothing but fruits intake). Often, eating less or nothing works towards slowing down or destroying the metabolism of a body.
Some of the most important things in a complete nutrition program are small but 5-6 meals per day, little bit of everything, management of calories to a level or intake of good fat, lost of water intake through a day, addition of fiber rich food and inclusion of vegetables and fruits in daily intake.
Experts believe that for a good healthy and nutritional intake one need to eat more than 3 meals per day. These meals should be 5 to 6 in number and less in quantity; also these small meals should consist of a balanced ratio of all the vital ingredients. This step of a nutrition programs helps to put an end to extra hunger or need for food and puts an end to starvation, also this helps to boost up the body metabolism and supports digestion system too. Next step comes as a balanced ratio of all the ingredients or little bit of everything i.e. to manage your 5-6 meals with lots of protein, required amount of carbohydrates, 20 to 25 % of fat per day and desired amount of vitamins and minerals.
People in general are always afraid of fat intake and tend to shift towards fat free or low fat food products, but truth is that fat has its own vital role in a nutrition diet. Fat is required for providing energy, stamina and oil to the bones, muscles, tissues and cells in the body. Fat intake to a desired level (specially the essential fat or the good fat) is compulsory for not just those indulged in muscle building, but is also equally important for rowing children and ageing adults for lubrication of joints. There are three types of fats present in food, such as saturate fat, polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats. Out of these three types, monounsaturated fats are the essential and good fats required by a body for growth, strong joints and bones, building of stamina and for maintaining a decent level of cholesterol in the body. It also is said to have good 'antioxidant' characteristics. Olive oil, canola oil and fish oil are some of the sources of monounsaturated fats; also this type of fat is present in both kinds of products (plant and animal).
Objective of a nutritious diet is not just to provide health and growth to a body, but to maintain its vital function like metabolism and digestion. Adequate intake of water in a day works towards helping the body in performing these functions successfully. Water does not just prevent a body from dehydrating, but also act as a cleanser for body toxins. Water is needed in a body to support the breakdown of valuable ingredients within the body.
Lastly, a balanced or perfect nutrition program can never exit without the intake of right amount of valuable fiber rich products like fruits and vegetables. To maintain a fiber level within a body is important enough to not to be ignored. You can always eat lots of salad or fruits between your main meals to fill your body with vital fibers required for performing digestive functions and to maintain the nutrition level of the body. Some of the source for fiber rich fruits and vegetables are: apples, pears, oranges, grapefruits, broccoli, spinach, lettuce, carrots, mushrooms and green beans.
Thus, a good nutritional diet program is essential to make your body perform its vital functions with an ease
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1241419
A good or balanced nutrition for healthy living is a benefit for every age type, especially for those spending hours in gym or other physical activities. It is a well known fact that nutritional diet intake is full of benefits for every category of people and supports growth in teenagers and kids, while helping in maintaining healthy and fit body in adults.
Before going to nutrition filled food and the important things in a nutrition program, you need to understand that nutrition does not only mean having lots of protein through the day or throwing calories away from your life or to skip a meal or to eat less. Nutrition or nutrition program is a process where a complete combination of all the nutrients should be present in day to day diet i.e. you can not just skip carbohydrates or fat from your food intake.
Mostly people involved in workouts tend to suffer from weakness and late post-workout recovery due to incomplete nutrition intake. You may be having protein supplements, but your body will still be lacking in nutrition for the absence of other vital ingredients of a perfect nutrition program. A human body needs a well balanced combination of the three main ingredients of a nutrition program .i.e. protein, carbohydrate and fat. Along with these three main components, a nutrition program also consists of vitamins, minerals and adequate amount of water intake.
A good nutrition program consist of vital steps or things to be taken care of, as it helps to ensure that the body is getting complete nutrition and does not lacks in any of the key ingredient. But, there are also things not to be done to balance and succeed in your nutritional intake. These 'not to do' things say - do not begin a nutrition program without a physical activity like exercising or cycling or brisk walking, do not skip your meals (breakfast or lunch or dinner), do not depend only on supplements and substitutes for losing weight or gaining muscle strength and do not skip or minus any of the three main ingredients mentioned.
Another big mistake people tend to make in the name of nutrition intake or nutritious diet is by eating less or staying on fast through the day (with nothing but fruits intake). Often, eating less or nothing works towards slowing down or destroying the metabolism of a body.
Some of the most important things in a complete nutrition program are small but 5-6 meals per day, little bit of everything, management of calories to a level or intake of good fat, lost of water intake through a day, addition of fiber rich food and inclusion of vegetables and fruits in daily intake.
Experts believe that for a good healthy and nutritional intake one need to eat more than 3 meals per day. These meals should be 5 to 6 in number and less in quantity; also these small meals should consist of a balanced ratio of all the vital ingredients. This step of a nutrition programs helps to put an end to extra hunger or need for food and puts an end to starvation, also this helps to boost up the body metabolism and supports digestion system too. Next step comes as a balanced ratio of all the ingredients or little bit of everything i.e. to manage your 5-6 meals with lots of protein, required amount of carbohydrates, 20 to 25 % of fat per day and desired amount of vitamins and minerals.
People in general are always afraid of fat intake and tend to shift towards fat free or low fat food products, but truth is that fat has its own vital role in a nutrition diet. Fat is required for providing energy, stamina and oil to the bones, muscles, tissues and cells in the body. Fat intake to a desired level (specially the essential fat or the good fat) is compulsory for not just those indulged in muscle building, but is also equally important for rowing children and ageing adults for lubrication of joints. There are three types of fats present in food, such as saturate fat, polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats. Out of these three types, monounsaturated fats are the essential and good fats required by a body for growth, strong joints and bones, building of stamina and for maintaining a decent level of cholesterol in the body. It also is said to have good 'antioxidant' characteristics. Olive oil, canola oil and fish oil are some of the sources of monounsaturated fats; also this type of fat is present in both kinds of products (plant and animal).
Objective of a nutritious diet is not just to provide health and growth to a body, but to maintain its vital function like metabolism and digestion. Adequate intake of water in a day works towards helping the body in performing these functions successfully. Water does not just prevent a body from dehydrating, but also act as a cleanser for body toxins. Water is needed in a body to support the breakdown of valuable ingredients within the body.
Lastly, a balanced or perfect nutrition program can never exit without the intake of right amount of valuable fiber rich products like fruits and vegetables. To maintain a fiber level within a body is important enough to not to be ignored. You can always eat lots of salad or fruits between your main meals to fill your body with vital fibers required for performing digestive functions and to maintain the nutrition level of the body. Some of the source for fiber rich fruits and vegetables are: apples, pears, oranges, grapefruits, broccoli, spinach, lettuce, carrots, mushrooms and green beans.
Thus, a good nutritional diet program is essential to make your body perform its vital functions with an ease
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1241419
Nutritional Supplements - A Growing Industry. #nutrition
The nutritional supplement industry has achieved phenomenal growth in the last two decades. In 1994, the DSHEA law was passed. This new framework for the regulation of dietary supplements is better suited for nutraceuticals because it facilitates increased product accessibility for Americans. Since then, the nutritional supplement industry has effectively grown due in a way mutually beneficial to manufacturers and consumers. This phenomenal growth is not only seen in the USA, but all around the world, particularly in Europe.What's driving the nutritional supplement industry? Let's take a look at why nutritional supplements are in such popular demand.
Worldwide Shift in Focus from Symptom-Relief to Proactive Healthcare
Nutritional supplements are meeting the health concerns of today forcing a shift in focus. The focus is now on proactive healthcare rather than symptom relief. People want to stay healthy.More people want to take proactive measures for maintaining good health. Most people who take nutritional supplements believe that nutritional supplements will help them to achieve optimal health over longer periods of time.
Lifestyle and Environment Issues
Busy lifestyles, a lack of good dietary habits, the strains of daily life and high pollution levels can cause stress to the body. In order to relieve the pressures of life, many people prefer nutritional assistance to improve their situation.Nutritional aids are formulated to help relieve anxiety, antioxidants to help stress at the cellular level, even sleep aids. This type of assistance is preferred since it carries less harmful side effects, is non-addictive, and gently works with the body's natural functions.
Educated Public
Eighty percent of illnesses are nutrition-related. Consumer awareness is leading people to make nutritional supplementation their first choice. Nutritional assistance is available to support heart health, eye health, digestive health, and many other health concerns. It is also used in proactive health measures to help prevent some types of health conditions.All of these health benefits have been validated by scientific research which gives them more credibility. A wide amount of research is available to the public through the Internet - credible sources like PubMed and Medline and no doubt such research has given nutritional supplements a dynamic impetus.
Inadequacies of Conventional Treatments
Some conventional treatments have fallen short of consumer expectations. Users of have communicated their preference for less harmful methods of treatment, unless pharmaceuticals are absolutely deemed necessary.
The Freedom to Control Your Own Healthcare
Consumers are happy to exercise their own healthcare by means of nutritional supplementation. More people are taking responsibility for their own health as seen by the rise in the number of nutritional supplements now available in the market. Using education and their own discretion, consumers are able to administer their own self-care regimen.. There is almost 100% consumer satisfaction leading to a growing insatiable consumer demand for more nutritional supplements!
Advancing Research and Variety of Products
The demand for more strategic nutritional supplements, targeted for specific demographics and health concerns are driving nutritional supplement manufacturers back to the laboratory for innovative products that can meet consumer demands. Research on nutrition and herbs keeps advancing giving rise to more products. There are now special products for adolescents, working women, men and children. Nutritional supplementation has become a specialized industry and products that cater to specific health needs, in the right packaging, can make the right impression amongst consumers. Products for anti-aging, skin health, cardiovascular health, antioxidants, hair care, continue to be remain popular.
Wider Acceptance amongst the Medical Profession
There is a wider acceptance of nutritional supplementation amongst the medical profession. More doctors are recommending nutritional supplements to their patients and many of them have begun to endorse products they believe in. More products are developed in collaboration with condition specific experts and nutritional researchers and some are formulated by well-known doctors. Famous athletes and celebrities are endorsing nutritional products and this too has added to the salability and credibility of the nutritional product.The nutritional supplement industry will continue to grow as breakthroughs in research, new manufacturing technologies and innovative products increasingly meet the health needs of today's consumers.
New Vitality is a health supplements company. It develops supplement products which are carefully formulated under the guidance of an elite panel comprised of renowned doctors, nutritionists, chemists and researchers. Whether you want a nutritional supplement, pet health supplement, a personal care product or a health care product, New Vitality is a one-stop shop for all needs.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1827769
Worldwide Shift in Focus from Symptom-Relief to Proactive Healthcare
Nutritional supplements are meeting the health concerns of today forcing a shift in focus. The focus is now on proactive healthcare rather than symptom relief. People want to stay healthy.More people want to take proactive measures for maintaining good health. Most people who take nutritional supplements believe that nutritional supplements will help them to achieve optimal health over longer periods of time.
Lifestyle and Environment Issues
Busy lifestyles, a lack of good dietary habits, the strains of daily life and high pollution levels can cause stress to the body. In order to relieve the pressures of life, many people prefer nutritional assistance to improve their situation.Nutritional aids are formulated to help relieve anxiety, antioxidants to help stress at the cellular level, even sleep aids. This type of assistance is preferred since it carries less harmful side effects, is non-addictive, and gently works with the body's natural functions.
Educated Public
Eighty percent of illnesses are nutrition-related. Consumer awareness is leading people to make nutritional supplementation their first choice. Nutritional assistance is available to support heart health, eye health, digestive health, and many other health concerns. It is also used in proactive health measures to help prevent some types of health conditions.All of these health benefits have been validated by scientific research which gives them more credibility. A wide amount of research is available to the public through the Internet - credible sources like PubMed and Medline and no doubt such research has given nutritional supplements a dynamic impetus.
Inadequacies of Conventional Treatments
Some conventional treatments have fallen short of consumer expectations. Users of have communicated their preference for less harmful methods of treatment, unless pharmaceuticals are absolutely deemed necessary.
The Freedom to Control Your Own Healthcare
Consumers are happy to exercise their own healthcare by means of nutritional supplementation. More people are taking responsibility for their own health as seen by the rise in the number of nutritional supplements now available in the market. Using education and their own discretion, consumers are able to administer their own self-care regimen.. There is almost 100% consumer satisfaction leading to a growing insatiable consumer demand for more nutritional supplements!
Advancing Research and Variety of Products
The demand for more strategic nutritional supplements, targeted for specific demographics and health concerns are driving nutritional supplement manufacturers back to the laboratory for innovative products that can meet consumer demands. Research on nutrition and herbs keeps advancing giving rise to more products. There are now special products for adolescents, working women, men and children. Nutritional supplementation has become a specialized industry and products that cater to specific health needs, in the right packaging, can make the right impression amongst consumers. Products for anti-aging, skin health, cardiovascular health, antioxidants, hair care, continue to be remain popular.
Wider Acceptance amongst the Medical Profession
There is a wider acceptance of nutritional supplementation amongst the medical profession. More doctors are recommending nutritional supplements to their patients and many of them have begun to endorse products they believe in. More products are developed in collaboration with condition specific experts and nutritional researchers and some are formulated by well-known doctors. Famous athletes and celebrities are endorsing nutritional products and this too has added to the salability and credibility of the nutritional product.The nutritional supplement industry will continue to grow as breakthroughs in research, new manufacturing technologies and innovative products increasingly meet the health needs of today's consumers.
New Vitality is a health supplements company. It develops supplement products which are carefully formulated under the guidance of an elite panel comprised of renowned doctors, nutritionists, chemists and researchers. Whether you want a nutritional supplement, pet health supplement, a personal care product or a health care product, New Vitality is a one-stop shop for all needs.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1827769
Diet, Nutrition and Healthy Living. #Nutrition
Diet and nutrition products have helped countless individuals maintain a healthier lifestyle, by providing essential vitamins and minerals in an otherwise poor diet. Diet and nutrition is important for everyone but it is especially important for runners, or for those who exercise vigorously. If you are dieting, you are ill, or you are regularly eating a fast-food diet, you should be especially concerned about what you and your family are getting as proper diet and nutrition from your food.
Nutrition is important for everyone because food gives our bodies the nutrients they need to stay healthy, grow, and work properly. In 2005, the government's revised Dietary Guidelines for Americans introduced the term "nutrient density," which sounds complicated but simply refers to how much nutrition a food provides. Nutrient density is especially important when overall nutrition and health is considered.
Experts believe these nutritional substances may help prevent heart disease, fight certain cancers, ward off dementia, and even slow certain aging processes. And so if you are like many of us, not quite hitting the entire food pyramid, you might be trying to outwit your body by giving it nutritional supplements to make up for the sins of food-group omissions.
Even the results of the best diet supplements are improved by proper nutrition and regular exercise, because when people eat healthy foods and exercise, they feel better, have more energy and are less prone to health problems. Health and nutrition products can help ensure that adequate levels of nutrients provide your body what it needs to stay healthy.
Nutritional snacks can be very important to our overall health and nutrition. When you snack, you can fill in nutritional gaps, if you boost your intake of fruits and vegetables. This helps you keep your mood on an even keel, and helps with appetite suppression and weight control. However, snacking can be a bad thing too, and can definitely contribute to weight gain. If you're searching for a villain in America's obesity epidemic, most nutritionists tell you to put one picture on the wanted poster: a cold, bubbly glass of soda pop.
Good nutrition is one of the ways the body restores itself to health. Restoring and maintaining good nutrition is a key principle in the management of diseases like Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Diet and nutrition concerns of patients with inflammatory bowel disease are extremely common, and appropriate. Because IBS, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis are diseases of the digestive tract, it is only natural that you will have many questions about diet and nutrition, if you have been diagnosed with one of these disorders. As research continues, we will learn even more about the relationship between nutrition and IBS, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis, and how to treat and or avoid them altogether.
As you can see, good nutritional habits and adequate caloric intake are very important. However, it's desirable to also maintain intake of at least some dairy products because they represent such a good source of nutrition, particularly calcium and protein, contributing to even more good nutrition. And, good nutrition quite simply equates to good health.
In summary, while diet and nutrition may not play a role in causing IBS, and some other digestive diseases, maintaining a well-balanced diet that is rich in nutrients can help you to live a healthier life. As stated earlier, if you are dieting, ill or eating a fast-food diet, you should be concerned about what you and your family are getting as a proper diet and nutrition from your food.
Or, maybe you feel as though you are just missing something while trying to sift through all the information out there about diet and nutrition. Either way, it is up to each of us to learn all we can about diet and nutrition, and then to apply that knowledge to our own lives. Good nutrition puts us on the path to good health, and good health is something we all should desire in order to live and be happy.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1853241
Nutrition is important for everyone because food gives our bodies the nutrients they need to stay healthy, grow, and work properly. In 2005, the government's revised Dietary Guidelines for Americans introduced the term "nutrient density," which sounds complicated but simply refers to how much nutrition a food provides. Nutrient density is especially important when overall nutrition and health is considered.
Experts believe these nutritional substances may help prevent heart disease, fight certain cancers, ward off dementia, and even slow certain aging processes. And so if you are like many of us, not quite hitting the entire food pyramid, you might be trying to outwit your body by giving it nutritional supplements to make up for the sins of food-group omissions.
Even the results of the best diet supplements are improved by proper nutrition and regular exercise, because when people eat healthy foods and exercise, they feel better, have more energy and are less prone to health problems. Health and nutrition products can help ensure that adequate levels of nutrients provide your body what it needs to stay healthy.
Nutritional snacks can be very important to our overall health and nutrition. When you snack, you can fill in nutritional gaps, if you boost your intake of fruits and vegetables. This helps you keep your mood on an even keel, and helps with appetite suppression and weight control. However, snacking can be a bad thing too, and can definitely contribute to weight gain. If you're searching for a villain in America's obesity epidemic, most nutritionists tell you to put one picture on the wanted poster: a cold, bubbly glass of soda pop.
Good nutrition is one of the ways the body restores itself to health. Restoring and maintaining good nutrition is a key principle in the management of diseases like Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Diet and nutrition concerns of patients with inflammatory bowel disease are extremely common, and appropriate. Because IBS, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis are diseases of the digestive tract, it is only natural that you will have many questions about diet and nutrition, if you have been diagnosed with one of these disorders. As research continues, we will learn even more about the relationship between nutrition and IBS, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis, and how to treat and or avoid them altogether.
As you can see, good nutritional habits and adequate caloric intake are very important. However, it's desirable to also maintain intake of at least some dairy products because they represent such a good source of nutrition, particularly calcium and protein, contributing to even more good nutrition. And, good nutrition quite simply equates to good health.
In summary, while diet and nutrition may not play a role in causing IBS, and some other digestive diseases, maintaining a well-balanced diet that is rich in nutrients can help you to live a healthier life. As stated earlier, if you are dieting, ill or eating a fast-food diet, you should be concerned about what you and your family are getting as a proper diet and nutrition from your food.
Or, maybe you feel as though you are just missing something while trying to sift through all the information out there about diet and nutrition. Either way, it is up to each of us to learn all we can about diet and nutrition, and then to apply that knowledge to our own lives. Good nutrition puts us on the path to good health, and good health is something we all should desire in order to live and be happy.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1853241
Health and Nutrition. #Nutrition
What are nutrients?
Every molecule in the body is created by Nutrients & there are more than 45 nutrients. These nutrients build molecules, cells, and tissues of the body.We get energy from Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats that we eat.
These are called macronutrients. These macro nutrients are broken down / metabolized to give energy to the body.
Vitamins and minerals (called micronutrients) are not themselves metabolized for energy, but they are important in helping the macronutrients convert to energy.
What is a healthy diet?
The optimal diet has to be individualized to meet your unique needs. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) food pyramid suggests that we use fat "sparingly," and that our daily diet include 2 - 3 servings of dairy products; 2 - 3 servings of meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans, or nuts; 3 - 5 servings of vegetables; 2 - 4 servings of fruit; and 6 - 11 servings of bread, cereal, rice, or pasta.
These are general guidelines. Healthy diet is dependent upon many factors like: age, gender, body size, pregnancy, and status of health. A clinical nutritionist or nutritionally oriented doctor can help you determine what type of diet is best for you.
While you know it is important to eat a healthy diet, it isn't always easy to sort through all of the information available about nutrition and food choices.
Nutrition has a vital importance to human well-being. Nutrition should play a leading role to improve our quality of life. Nutrition is a key for reducing your body fat percentage.
Better nutrition means stronger immune systems, less illness and better health. Better nutrition is a prime entry point to ending poverty and a milestone to achieving better quality of life. Safe food and good nutrition are important to all.
Basic nutrition knowledge is constantly taking shape every day, producing new diet trends to an ever growing audience of people who want to know the latest and greatest ways to achieve their physical fitness goals.
Get nutrition facts and discover how you can use dietary recommendations to improve your health. As you grow older, getting a nutritionally rich diet becomes even more important. The link between nutrition and health is necessary to achieve optimal health.
Good nutrition is a clear path to optimize our quality of life. An important starting point for achieving optimum health is to achieve optimum nutrition and get the proper nutrients from the food.
Diet and nutrition are the principle preventive measures against diseases.
Reading labels and eating a diet rich in vitamins and nutrients is optimal for healthy nutrition. Research confirms that good nutrition in the early years of life is crucial for human growth and mental development.
The study of human nutrition dates back to the 18th century, when the French chemist Lavoisier discovered that there was a relationship between our metabolism of food and the process of breathing.
The field of clinical nutrition has evolved into a practice that is increasingly incorporated into mainstream medical treatment. The term "nutritional supplement" refers to vitamins, minerals, and other food components that are used to support good health and treat illness.
A clinical nutritionist or nutritionally oriented doctor can help you determine what type of diet is best for you.
During the initial part of the visit, the clinical nutritionist will ask you questions about your medical history, family history, and personal lifestyle.
In hospitals, nutrition is used to improve the overall health of patients with a wide range of conditions. Effects of exercise and nutrition on postural balance and risk of falling in elderly people with decreased bone mineral density: randomized controlled trial pilot study.
Healthy Lifestyle
Healthy people are stronger, are more productive and more able to create opportunities to gradually break the cycles of both poverty and hunger in a sustainable way.
Healthy eating is associated with reduced risk for many diseases, including the three leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, and stroke. Healthy eating is fundamental to good health and is a key element in healthy human development, from the prenatal and early childhood years to later life stages.
Healthy eating is equally important in reducing the risk of many chronic diseases. We spend a lot of money on food, but there are ways to cut costs and still serve healthy delicious meals.
When you choose healthy foods instead of sugary or high-fat foods you can actually improve your health by adding extra phytochemicals and fiber. Breakfast foods should be healthy but they have a tendency to be high in fats and sugar.
We always hear that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so why ruin a healthy breakfast.
Good nutrition is vital to good health, disease prevention, and essential for healthy growth and development of children and adolescents. Fiber is an important part of a healthy diet.
Many of us work very hard to eat healthy meals, but struggle with the urge for candy, cookies, cakes, ice cream and anything else full of sugar and sweetness. Most experts agree that snacking is a part of a balanced and healthy diet, as long as the snacks don't pile on empty calories.
When your best efforts go awry, and you order pizza or serve another meal that doesn't exactly fit into a healthy diet, you still have many options for making it healthier. Just about everyone knows that fruits and vegetables are a very important part of a healthy diet.
Having a well-stocked pantry and refrigerator can be a busy cook's best weapon in the war against resorting to fast-food, high-fat, unhealthy meals. Fresh oil is a source of essential fatty acids, which help keep the skin healthy and the hair shiny.
We believe eating sensibly, combined with appropriate exercise, is the best solution for a healthy lifestyle.
Foods
When you choose healthy foods instead of sugary or high-fat foods you can actually improve your health by adding extra phytochemicals and fiber. The goal is to balance negative foods with positive foods so that the combined rating for all foods eaten in a single day is positive.
If you want to restrict your caloric intake without feeling hungry, find foods highest in any vitamin or mineral or lowest in carbs, saturated fats, or sugars. Our general state of health is partially driven by the types of foods we consume.
To make vegetable oils suitable for deep frying, the oils are hydrogenated, so trans fats are commonly found in deep-fried foods such as French fries and doughnuts. Trans fats, beyond a limit, are not good for our health.
Hydrogenation solidifies liquid oils and increases the shelf life and the flavor stability of oils and foods that contain them. Other sources of trans fats are vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, cookies, snack foods, and other foods.
Since trans fats increase a products shelf life, many pre-prepared foods and mixes (for example, some pancake mixes and pizza dough) contain trans fats.
The solution: Whenever possible, eat whole, fresh, and unprocessed foods. When buying packaged foods, put in at least as much time into reading labels and selecting products as you do when choosing a shower gel or shampoo.
A good diet is central to overall good health, but which are the best foods to include in your meals, and which ones are best avoided.
Fast food has become much more popular of late and all over the world the outcry regarding harms of fast foods is on increase.
Be aware that there is little scientific information about the effect of so-called functional foods --foods to which vitamins, minerals, herbs, or other dietary substances are added -- despite their growing popularity in the market place and claims of beneficial effects.
Some common foods, including nuts, wheat gluten, dairy products, fish, shrimp, soy, bananas and eggs may trigger allergic reactions.
Fat
Fats add taste to meals and give one a feeling of fullness when eaten. When you choose healthy foods instead of sugary or high-fat foods you can actually improve your health by adding extra phytochemicals and fiber.
Breakfast foods should be healthy but they have a tendency to be high in fats and sugar. The human brain is almost entirely composed of unsaturated fatty acids.
You deprive yourself of more than fats when you go for the fat-free or low-fat salad dressing. We need fats to absorb all the beneficial elements of salads and other fruits and vegetables. Learn which are the right types of fats, to create beautiful, supple skin, and a healthy body.
Eating more whole foods is a good way to replace many of the processed snacks and foods that have a lot of extra sugar, fat (including trans fat), salt, and other things added to them and a lot of good things taken out, like fiber.In addition to food labeled fat-free and low fat, healthy low fat foods include most fruits and vegetables.
Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats (called macronutrients) are broken down (metabolized) to give the body energy.
For example, lowering fat and cholesterol intake and adding whole grains to the diet can prevent atherosclerosis (plaque buildup in the arteries), which can lead to heart disease or stroke.
Fish is high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential components of cells and can protect the heart from, for example, fatal arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythm). Omega-3 fatty acids found in cold water fish (such as herring, tuna, and salmon) have been reported to reduce inflammation and help prevent certain chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, and arthritis.
Safe food and good nutrition are important to all. Basic nutrition knowledge is constantly taking shape every day, producing new diet trends to an ever growing audience of people who want to know the latest and greatest ways to achieve their physical fitness goals.
Did you know that you can drastically decrease your chance of heart disease and cancer by eating a healthy diet and following the recommended nutrition guidelines?
Proper nutrition is a powerful good: people who are well nourished are more likely to be healthy, productive and able to learn.
Good nutrition benefits families, their communities and the world as a whole. Malnutrition is, by the same logic, devastating.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2596130
Every molecule in the body is created by Nutrients & there are more than 45 nutrients. These nutrients build molecules, cells, and tissues of the body.We get energy from Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats that we eat.
These are called macronutrients. These macro nutrients are broken down / metabolized to give energy to the body.
Vitamins and minerals (called micronutrients) are not themselves metabolized for energy, but they are important in helping the macronutrients convert to energy.
What is a healthy diet?
The optimal diet has to be individualized to meet your unique needs. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) food pyramid suggests that we use fat "sparingly," and that our daily diet include 2 - 3 servings of dairy products; 2 - 3 servings of meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans, or nuts; 3 - 5 servings of vegetables; 2 - 4 servings of fruit; and 6 - 11 servings of bread, cereal, rice, or pasta.
These are general guidelines. Healthy diet is dependent upon many factors like: age, gender, body size, pregnancy, and status of health. A clinical nutritionist or nutritionally oriented doctor can help you determine what type of diet is best for you.
While you know it is important to eat a healthy diet, it isn't always easy to sort through all of the information available about nutrition and food choices.
Nutrition has a vital importance to human well-being. Nutrition should play a leading role to improve our quality of life. Nutrition is a key for reducing your body fat percentage.
Better nutrition means stronger immune systems, less illness and better health. Better nutrition is a prime entry point to ending poverty and a milestone to achieving better quality of life. Safe food and good nutrition are important to all.
Basic nutrition knowledge is constantly taking shape every day, producing new diet trends to an ever growing audience of people who want to know the latest and greatest ways to achieve their physical fitness goals.
Get nutrition facts and discover how you can use dietary recommendations to improve your health. As you grow older, getting a nutritionally rich diet becomes even more important. The link between nutrition and health is necessary to achieve optimal health.
Good nutrition is a clear path to optimize our quality of life. An important starting point for achieving optimum health is to achieve optimum nutrition and get the proper nutrients from the food.
Diet and nutrition are the principle preventive measures against diseases.
Reading labels and eating a diet rich in vitamins and nutrients is optimal for healthy nutrition. Research confirms that good nutrition in the early years of life is crucial for human growth and mental development.
The study of human nutrition dates back to the 18th century, when the French chemist Lavoisier discovered that there was a relationship between our metabolism of food and the process of breathing.
The field of clinical nutrition has evolved into a practice that is increasingly incorporated into mainstream medical treatment. The term "nutritional supplement" refers to vitamins, minerals, and other food components that are used to support good health and treat illness.
A clinical nutritionist or nutritionally oriented doctor can help you determine what type of diet is best for you.
During the initial part of the visit, the clinical nutritionist will ask you questions about your medical history, family history, and personal lifestyle.
In hospitals, nutrition is used to improve the overall health of patients with a wide range of conditions. Effects of exercise and nutrition on postural balance and risk of falling in elderly people with decreased bone mineral density: randomized controlled trial pilot study.
Healthy Lifestyle
Healthy people are stronger, are more productive and more able to create opportunities to gradually break the cycles of both poverty and hunger in a sustainable way.
Healthy eating is associated with reduced risk for many diseases, including the three leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, and stroke. Healthy eating is fundamental to good health and is a key element in healthy human development, from the prenatal and early childhood years to later life stages.
Healthy eating is equally important in reducing the risk of many chronic diseases. We spend a lot of money on food, but there are ways to cut costs and still serve healthy delicious meals.
When you choose healthy foods instead of sugary or high-fat foods you can actually improve your health by adding extra phytochemicals and fiber. Breakfast foods should be healthy but they have a tendency to be high in fats and sugar.
We always hear that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so why ruin a healthy breakfast.
Good nutrition is vital to good health, disease prevention, and essential for healthy growth and development of children and adolescents. Fiber is an important part of a healthy diet.
Many of us work very hard to eat healthy meals, but struggle with the urge for candy, cookies, cakes, ice cream and anything else full of sugar and sweetness. Most experts agree that snacking is a part of a balanced and healthy diet, as long as the snacks don't pile on empty calories.
When your best efforts go awry, and you order pizza or serve another meal that doesn't exactly fit into a healthy diet, you still have many options for making it healthier. Just about everyone knows that fruits and vegetables are a very important part of a healthy diet.
Having a well-stocked pantry and refrigerator can be a busy cook's best weapon in the war against resorting to fast-food, high-fat, unhealthy meals. Fresh oil is a source of essential fatty acids, which help keep the skin healthy and the hair shiny.
We believe eating sensibly, combined with appropriate exercise, is the best solution for a healthy lifestyle.
Foods
When you choose healthy foods instead of sugary or high-fat foods you can actually improve your health by adding extra phytochemicals and fiber. The goal is to balance negative foods with positive foods so that the combined rating for all foods eaten in a single day is positive.
If you want to restrict your caloric intake without feeling hungry, find foods highest in any vitamin or mineral or lowest in carbs, saturated fats, or sugars. Our general state of health is partially driven by the types of foods we consume.
To make vegetable oils suitable for deep frying, the oils are hydrogenated, so trans fats are commonly found in deep-fried foods such as French fries and doughnuts. Trans fats, beyond a limit, are not good for our health.
Hydrogenation solidifies liquid oils and increases the shelf life and the flavor stability of oils and foods that contain them. Other sources of trans fats are vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, cookies, snack foods, and other foods.
Since trans fats increase a products shelf life, many pre-prepared foods and mixes (for example, some pancake mixes and pizza dough) contain trans fats.
The solution: Whenever possible, eat whole, fresh, and unprocessed foods. When buying packaged foods, put in at least as much time into reading labels and selecting products as you do when choosing a shower gel or shampoo.
A good diet is central to overall good health, but which are the best foods to include in your meals, and which ones are best avoided.
Fast food has become much more popular of late and all over the world the outcry regarding harms of fast foods is on increase.
Be aware that there is little scientific information about the effect of so-called functional foods --foods to which vitamins, minerals, herbs, or other dietary substances are added -- despite their growing popularity in the market place and claims of beneficial effects.
Some common foods, including nuts, wheat gluten, dairy products, fish, shrimp, soy, bananas and eggs may trigger allergic reactions.
Fat
Fats add taste to meals and give one a feeling of fullness when eaten. When you choose healthy foods instead of sugary or high-fat foods you can actually improve your health by adding extra phytochemicals and fiber.
Breakfast foods should be healthy but they have a tendency to be high in fats and sugar. The human brain is almost entirely composed of unsaturated fatty acids.
You deprive yourself of more than fats when you go for the fat-free or low-fat salad dressing. We need fats to absorb all the beneficial elements of salads and other fruits and vegetables. Learn which are the right types of fats, to create beautiful, supple skin, and a healthy body.
Eating more whole foods is a good way to replace many of the processed snacks and foods that have a lot of extra sugar, fat (including trans fat), salt, and other things added to them and a lot of good things taken out, like fiber.In addition to food labeled fat-free and low fat, healthy low fat foods include most fruits and vegetables.
Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats (called macronutrients) are broken down (metabolized) to give the body energy.
For example, lowering fat and cholesterol intake and adding whole grains to the diet can prevent atherosclerosis (plaque buildup in the arteries), which can lead to heart disease or stroke.
Fish is high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential components of cells and can protect the heart from, for example, fatal arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythm). Omega-3 fatty acids found in cold water fish (such as herring, tuna, and salmon) have been reported to reduce inflammation and help prevent certain chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, and arthritis.
Safe food and good nutrition are important to all. Basic nutrition knowledge is constantly taking shape every day, producing new diet trends to an ever growing audience of people who want to know the latest and greatest ways to achieve their physical fitness goals.
Did you know that you can drastically decrease your chance of heart disease and cancer by eating a healthy diet and following the recommended nutrition guidelines?
Proper nutrition is a powerful good: people who are well nourished are more likely to be healthy, productive and able to learn.
Good nutrition benefits families, their communities and the world as a whole. Malnutrition is, by the same logic, devastating.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2596130
Brain Nutrition - The Importance of Nourishing Your Greedy Brain. #Nutrition
We've all heard the phrase "you are what you eat." When it comes to the brain, our most important organ, this idea that we become what we put into our bodies through nutrition takes on even greater meaning. The importance of brain nutrition becomes quite obvious when we consider a few key factors. The brain consumes a disproportionately large portion of the nutrients ingested by the body. The function of brain cells is heavily impacted by these nutrients available in the brain. The functioning of our brain cells determines how we function. Thus our mood, attention, memory, etc., are all functions of brain nutrition.
The Greedy Brain - Why 40 Percent Of All Your Nutritional Intake Is Actually Brain Nutrition
Our intelligent body knows how important the brain is and so allocates its resources accordingly, allowing the brain to consume a disproportionately large portion of the nutrients we ingest. The brain weighs only 1 to 2 percent of your total body weight, but 20 percent of the air you breathe, 25 percent of your blood flow, 30 percent of the water you ingest, and 40 percent of the nutrition in your bloodstream is sent to be consumed by the brain. This means that 40 percent of your nutritional intake can be directly thought of as brain nutrition.
Nutrition's Powerful Influence Over Brain Function
Nutrients available to the brain have a huge impact on the healthy functioning of our brain cells or neurons. Nutrients affect neuronal function either directly, being metabolized without precursors, or indirectly, by affecting production of other substances in the brain that determine brain cell function.
The billions of brain cells or neurons communicate via neurotransmitters -- including serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine -- that send signals through the brain's complex of pathways. Brain function is determined in large part by the action of these chemical messengers. Losing mental agility in old age, for example, may result from the brain cells' failing to communicate effectively rather than from cell death. Proper brain nutrition influences the production and action of neurotransmitters. For instance, research shows higher levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine in lab rats that are fed blueberries, which are rich in antioxidants. Dopamine, in turn, is important for cognition, motivation, mood, attention, and learning.
Other examples of nutrients which affect brain function include tyrosine, an amino acid found in protein which also supports the action of important neurotransmitters; the mineral magnesium, which can reduce hyperactivity and irritability; and omega-3 fatty acids, which can improve mood, attention, and alertness.
Brain Nutrition Is Super Important To Your Well-being And Your Life
Thus, nutrition has a huge impact on how we feel, think, and function. Our emotions, our memory, our ability to concentrate and accomplish tasks, and hence our lives are heavily impacted by what we put into our bodies, be it food, nutritional supplements, or drugs.
Makes you think twice about eating that big mac or drinking that coke, doesn't it? Makes you want to check the nutritional information of everything you buy at the grocery store, right? It makes you want to find out exactly what foods and supplements are beneficial for brain function and which are detrimental. You might think to yourself: what a drag! Well, the negative impact of ignorance on your brain is an even bigger drag. Knowledge is power. Now go and use brain nutrition to empower your mind and your life!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2816743
The Greedy Brain - Why 40 Percent Of All Your Nutritional Intake Is Actually Brain Nutrition
Our intelligent body knows how important the brain is and so allocates its resources accordingly, allowing the brain to consume a disproportionately large portion of the nutrients we ingest. The brain weighs only 1 to 2 percent of your total body weight, but 20 percent of the air you breathe, 25 percent of your blood flow, 30 percent of the water you ingest, and 40 percent of the nutrition in your bloodstream is sent to be consumed by the brain. This means that 40 percent of your nutritional intake can be directly thought of as brain nutrition.
Nutrition's Powerful Influence Over Brain Function
Nutrients available to the brain have a huge impact on the healthy functioning of our brain cells or neurons. Nutrients affect neuronal function either directly, being metabolized without precursors, or indirectly, by affecting production of other substances in the brain that determine brain cell function.
The billions of brain cells or neurons communicate via neurotransmitters -- including serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine -- that send signals through the brain's complex of pathways. Brain function is determined in large part by the action of these chemical messengers. Losing mental agility in old age, for example, may result from the brain cells' failing to communicate effectively rather than from cell death. Proper brain nutrition influences the production and action of neurotransmitters. For instance, research shows higher levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine in lab rats that are fed blueberries, which are rich in antioxidants. Dopamine, in turn, is important for cognition, motivation, mood, attention, and learning.
Other examples of nutrients which affect brain function include tyrosine, an amino acid found in protein which also supports the action of important neurotransmitters; the mineral magnesium, which can reduce hyperactivity and irritability; and omega-3 fatty acids, which can improve mood, attention, and alertness.
Brain Nutrition Is Super Important To Your Well-being And Your Life
Thus, nutrition has a huge impact on how we feel, think, and function. Our emotions, our memory, our ability to concentrate and accomplish tasks, and hence our lives are heavily impacted by what we put into our bodies, be it food, nutritional supplements, or drugs.
Makes you think twice about eating that big mac or drinking that coke, doesn't it? Makes you want to check the nutritional information of everything you buy at the grocery store, right? It makes you want to find out exactly what foods and supplements are beneficial for brain function and which are detrimental. You might think to yourself: what a drag! Well, the negative impact of ignorance on your brain is an even bigger drag. Knowledge is power. Now go and use brain nutrition to empower your mind and your life!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2816743
How Do We Determine Nutritional Need? #Nutrition
Today, we'd like to focus on the amount of nourishment and physical exercise our bodies need and how best to accomplish these objectives. It is very important to study and understand our own bodies' individual needs, in terms of physical needs, caloric intake, and nutritional health. If you know where to look, you will find libraries, doctors, and fitness centers are stocked with nutritional information and guidance for healthy living choices for people of all ages.
A healthy body requires nutrition to nurture our bodies and keep them fit and in working order. Every day, the vitamins and minerals we consume in our foods provides us with nutrition we need to thrive.
How can we ascertain our individual nutritional needs? Simply by getting more information about our own individual needs and the needs of our loved ones, we can start to make smarter choices on the foods we purchase, prepare, and present to our families.
When it comes to day-to-day life, nutrition is defined as what we consume as it relates to what we need to keep our bodies healthy. Thanks to recent participation of the USDA in our daily food requirements and the FDA keeping up the standards of safe eating, nutrition has become more of a common household word.
So what actions should we take with regards to nutrition? How can we find out what our nutritional requirements are, how to fulfill them, and in which foods to find the best nutritional value? Nutrition in its own right hasn't garnered the amount of attention it probably needs. We hear all sorts of buzzwords regarding milk and cereals fortified with vitamins, our daily vitamin intake, and what nutritional value we get from our food choices. But how does all this actually apply to our daily body functions?
Our vitamin and mineral requirements frequently outweigh our caloric needs. Here is where supplemental vitamins and minerals are necessary to fill the gap. All these things are part of our basic nutritional needs.
Because everyone has individual needs and because there are so many different facets to nutrition, nutrition is a very complex topic. Men and women have very different needs, and even young women's needs are different from that of older women. Continual education and reevaluation of our nutritional needs as we age is a necessary part of our bodily health.
It stands to reason that an athletic middle-aged hiker would have differing nutritional needs from a person who suffered from heart disease. So many different elements factor into our nutritional health, it's easy to see how it can become so complex. In a perfect world, everyone would have their own scale they could use to determine their bodies' physical and nutritional needs on a cellular level to recalibrate every so often for optimum nutrition. People need to realize that everyone is different, and a good nutritional education is the key to having our body run as efficiently as it can. The goal of everyone's life should be good nutrition.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4444768
A healthy body requires nutrition to nurture our bodies and keep them fit and in working order. Every day, the vitamins and minerals we consume in our foods provides us with nutrition we need to thrive.
How can we ascertain our individual nutritional needs? Simply by getting more information about our own individual needs and the needs of our loved ones, we can start to make smarter choices on the foods we purchase, prepare, and present to our families.
When it comes to day-to-day life, nutrition is defined as what we consume as it relates to what we need to keep our bodies healthy. Thanks to recent participation of the USDA in our daily food requirements and the FDA keeping up the standards of safe eating, nutrition has become more of a common household word.
So what actions should we take with regards to nutrition? How can we find out what our nutritional requirements are, how to fulfill them, and in which foods to find the best nutritional value? Nutrition in its own right hasn't garnered the amount of attention it probably needs. We hear all sorts of buzzwords regarding milk and cereals fortified with vitamins, our daily vitamin intake, and what nutritional value we get from our food choices. But how does all this actually apply to our daily body functions?
Our vitamin and mineral requirements frequently outweigh our caloric needs. Here is where supplemental vitamins and minerals are necessary to fill the gap. All these things are part of our basic nutritional needs.
Because everyone has individual needs and because there are so many different facets to nutrition, nutrition is a very complex topic. Men and women have very different needs, and even young women's needs are different from that of older women. Continual education and reevaluation of our nutritional needs as we age is a necessary part of our bodily health.
It stands to reason that an athletic middle-aged hiker would have differing nutritional needs from a person who suffered from heart disease. So many different elements factor into our nutritional health, it's easy to see how it can become so complex. In a perfect world, everyone would have their own scale they could use to determine their bodies' physical and nutritional needs on a cellular level to recalibrate every so often for optimum nutrition. People need to realize that everyone is different, and a good nutritional education is the key to having our body run as efficiently as it can. The goal of everyone's life should be good nutrition.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4444768
Nutrition - An Online Educational Opportunity. #Nutrition
Today nutrition makes up a huge part of society and a continual focus on being healthy dominates many areas of commercial life. A continual effort from doctors and commercial health push the high benefits of having a balanced nutritional diet. For this reason more online colleges are offering degree distinctions in nutrition. New opportunities to gain an education from an accredited online college are increasingly becoming more prevalent for prospective students.
Individuals who have an interest in nutritional health have a wide range of degree programs to choose from that can be obtained online.
Individuals educated in nutrition help their client's gain the understanding that a person's health is directly related to what a person puts into their body.
The increased awareness of health related to nutrition has sparked people to completely eliminate trans fat from their diets, and fast food restaurants are now required to put nutritional facts on their food labels.
Nutritionists in a variety of jobs help people understand the link and medical impact of a good or bad nutritional diet. They introduce the facts related to nutrition to help people spark a healthy change in the way they live their life related to food.
Online opportunities provide prospective students with the ability to obtain a bachelor's degree and master's degree.
Doctorate programs in nutrition are relatively new to online study. However, more colleges are adding this degree distinction because of the popularity of the field.
Most careers if not all require a nutritionist to have gained at least a bachelor's degree program. A bachelor's degree usually requires a student to study a variety of areas within the industry. These areas can include food, nutrition, dietetics, and more.
Nutritionists will learn how to help individuals one on one or create a nutritional program for a group of people.
A bachelor's program in nutrition or holistic nutrition can be earned from a wide range of colleges online.
The general requirement for this degree may require around 120 credit hours. Typically credit hours are broken up into two sections. The sections may require a student to take 60 credit hours of general education and 60 hours or core courses specifically for the degree.
A course that can be taken is nutrition for women. Through this course students will learn the dietary needs of women by examining the vitamins, minerals, and herbs that specifically affect women and their health. The course will dive into the role of essential fats and ideal amounts of vitamins and minerals for women on a daily balanced nutritional diet. Other courses may include detoxification, weight loss, fitness, weight management, and more.
Bachelor's degree holders in nutrition have more opportunities to gain a higher-level degree from home. Many students go on to gain a master's degree in human nutrition to not only increase their career options but income as well. Students are typically required to complete around 35 credit hours to graduate a master's program. Programs at this level help students prepare for their career by helping them understand how to utilize and apply nutritional procedures within the industry.
Every degree distinction online prepares students with in depth knowledge on how to help individuals with their nutritional diet. Graduated students will be prepared in a number of ways to be successful within their chosen career. Start your education today by utilizing an accredited online degree in nutrition to help you reach your personal career goals. Accredited programs can give students the quality education they desire by earning accreditation from an agency like the Distance Education and training Council (www.DETC.org) and other agencies.
DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERIC OUTLINE and may or may not depict precise methods, courses and/or focuses related to ANY ONE specific school(s) that may or may not be advertised at PETAP.org.
Copyright 2010 - All rights reserved by PETAP.org.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4451277
How Do We Determine Nutritional Need? #Nutrition
Today, we'd like to focus on the amount of nourishment and physical exercise our bodies need and how best to accomplish these objectives. It is very important to study and understand our own bodies' individual needs, in terms of physical needs, caloric intake, and nutritional health. If you know where to look, you will find libraries, doctors, and fitness centers are stocked with nutritional information and guidance for healthy living choices for people of all ages.
A healthy body requires nutrition to nurture our bodies and keep them fit and in working order. Every day, the vitamins and minerals we consume in our foods provides us with nutrition we need to thrive.
How can we ascertain our individual nutritional needs? Simply by getting more information about our own individual needs and the needs of our loved ones, we can start to make smarter choices on the foods we purchase, prepare, and present to our families.
When it comes to day-to-day life, nutrition is defined as what we consume as it relates to what we need to keep our bodies healthy. Thanks to recent participation of the USDA in our daily food requirements and the FDA keeping up the standards of safe eating, nutrition has become more of a common household word.
So what actions should we take with regards to nutrition? How can we find out what our nutritional requirements are, how to fulfill them, and in which foods to find the best nutritional value? Nutrition in its own right hasn't garnered the amount of attention it probably needs. We hear all sorts of buzzwords regarding milk and cereals fortified with vitamins, our daily vitamin intake, and what nutritional value we get from our food choices. But how does all this actually apply to our daily body functions?
Our vitamin and mineral requirements frequently outweigh our caloric needs. Here is where supplemental vitamins and minerals are necessary to fill the gap. All these things are part of our basic nutritional needs.
Because everyone has individual needs and because there are so many different facets to nutrition, nutrition is a very complex topic. Men and women have very different needs, and even young women's needs are different from that of older women. Continual education and reevaluation of our nutritional needs as we age is a necessary part of our bodily health.
It stands to reason that an athletic middle-aged hiker would have differing nutritional needs from a person who suffered from heart disease. So many different elements factor into our nutritional health, it's easy to see how it can become so complex. In a perfect world, everyone would have their own scale they could use to determine their bodies' physical and nutritional needs on a cellular level to recalibrate every so often for optimum nutrition. People need to realize that everyone is different, and a good nutritional education is the key to having our body run as efficiently as it can. The goal of everyone's life should be good nutrition.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4444768
A healthy body requires nutrition to nurture our bodies and keep them fit and in working order. Every day, the vitamins and minerals we consume in our foods provides us with nutrition we need to thrive.
How can we ascertain our individual nutritional needs? Simply by getting more information about our own individual needs and the needs of our loved ones, we can start to make smarter choices on the foods we purchase, prepare, and present to our families.
When it comes to day-to-day life, nutrition is defined as what we consume as it relates to what we need to keep our bodies healthy. Thanks to recent participation of the USDA in our daily food requirements and the FDA keeping up the standards of safe eating, nutrition has become more of a common household word.
So what actions should we take with regards to nutrition? How can we find out what our nutritional requirements are, how to fulfill them, and in which foods to find the best nutritional value? Nutrition in its own right hasn't garnered the amount of attention it probably needs. We hear all sorts of buzzwords regarding milk and cereals fortified with vitamins, our daily vitamin intake, and what nutritional value we get from our food choices. But how does all this actually apply to our daily body functions?
Our vitamin and mineral requirements frequently outweigh our caloric needs. Here is where supplemental vitamins and minerals are necessary to fill the gap. All these things are part of our basic nutritional needs.
Because everyone has individual needs and because there are so many different facets to nutrition, nutrition is a very complex topic. Men and women have very different needs, and even young women's needs are different from that of older women. Continual education and reevaluation of our nutritional needs as we age is a necessary part of our bodily health.
It stands to reason that an athletic middle-aged hiker would have differing nutritional needs from a person who suffered from heart disease. So many different elements factor into our nutritional health, it's easy to see how it can become so complex. In a perfect world, everyone would have their own scale they could use to determine their bodies' physical and nutritional needs on a cellular level to recalibrate every so often for optimum nutrition. People need to realize that everyone is different, and a good nutritional education is the key to having our body run as efficiently as it can. The goal of everyone's life should be good nutrition.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4444768
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