Monday, March 30, 2009

What is The Difference Between Vitamins and Minerals?

Most people may realize that vitamins and minerals are two different things, but they probably do not know what vitamins and minerals their body needs and what they are good for. Vitamins, for example, are essential to life; regulate metabolism and assist the processes that release energy from digested food.

They also work with enzymes as co-enzymes, enabling the body to perform its activities, or build and feed cells. Vitamins are also either water soluble or fat soluble.

This is important because vitamins must have an effective way of being broken down within the body, otherwise they are not used and passed through the body. This is actually best evident in most vitamin pills or supplements you can buy in stores or on-line.

Most of these company's vitamins are not water or fat soluble enough for the body to ever break them down. I often refer to them as vitamin bricks. While you think you are getting all of that vitamin C you are buying, it is probably passing right through you. This has often been referred to as "expensive pee."

Just be careful and do your research. Like I said a reputable company will be able to provide you with information that proves that its vitamins are of the highest potency and purity and are very soluble.

So what are the fat soluble vitamins? They are: vitamin A, D, E, and K. Beta-carotene is also a fat soluble vitamin.

Fat soluble vitamins are stored in body tissues and require the presence of fatty acids in order to be transported and absorbed. Fat-free diets, for example interfere with the absorption of these vitamins and can create possible deficiencies.

What about water soluble vitamins? They are: B-complex, which consists of vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, and B12. Biotin, vitamin C, and Folic Acid are also water soluble vitamins.

Water soluble vitamins must be regularly consumed, and replenished within the body. Water soluble vitamins should be consumed or taken at divided times throughout the day. That is one reason it is best to eat a few small meals throughout the day than eat one or two giant meals.

Water soluble vitamins are not stored in the body, and therefore they are quickly depleted. Unlike animals, we cannot produce any Vitamin C in our bodies, therefore it is essential that you pay attention to how much vitamin C you are consuming, that is the only way your body will get enough to be healthy.

Well enough about vitamins, lets talk about minerals. Minerals are needed for the proper composition of body fluids. They are also needed for the building and formation of blood and bones as well as building and feeding cells.

The minerals you need are: Calcium, sodium, magnesium, boron, copper, cobalt, chromium, Iodine, sulpher, manganese, selenium, iron, vanadium, zinc, potassium, silicon, and phosphorus.

Minerals are needed in varying amounts and, like vitamins, are crucial to the body's health. Minerals also give you sustained energy.

The best way to get your proper amount of vitamins and minerals is through your diet (vitamins and minerals are easily broken down within food). However, many of us do not have the time or money necessary to create a perfect diet for ourselves that contains just the right amount of vitamins and minerals.

That is why many people rely on supplements as well as their diet to give them the vitamins and minerals they need. But if you are going to buy any vitamin or mineral supplements you need to do your research and make sure they are of the highest quality, and most importantly that they are going to be broken down within your body and not just pass through you.

A good company will give you access to this information before you buy. You can make sure that the vitamin and mineral supplements you are buying are of highest quality by making sure that the company you buy from has a proven track record of success, plenty of testimonials, and a money back guarantee. If their products work they will guarantee them, otherwise they have something to hide.

To Your Health,

Diet Health & Fitness
'Blog Squad'

DietHealthandFitness.com

P.S. Get a FREE Body Profile Analysis - Click Here now.

Monday, March 23, 2009

The Truth About Protein

The word protein means: Of first importance. After water, protein is the most abundant substance in the body.

Protein molecules, which consist of amino acids linked together, are the basic building foundation for the entire body: the bones, muscles, organs, blood, arteries, antibodies, skin, hair, nails, hormones, tissues etc.

Protein can also help lower blood pressure, it aids in weight loss, keeps cholesterol levels low, it slows artery clogging, and it decreases your chance of getting certain forms of cancer. Taking protein has also been shown to be an excellent preventative measure against aging and illness. The proper amount of high quality protein is essential for repair, growth, and healing of any and all body parts.

Virtually everyone should ingest protein daily to ensure a continuous supply of basic amino acids. Amino acids bind together in infinite combinations to become protein molecules, which are needed to repair an endless number of tissues throughout the body.

There are nine essential amino acids that the body cannot produce, they must be supplied through your diet. There are also sixteen non-essential amino acids that the body can manufacture from the nine essential amino acids. All nine essential amino acids must be present for the amino acids to bind together for protein synthesis.

Protein can be found in meat and other foods you eat. Organic red meat and wild fish, for example, are great sources of natural animal based protein. Many people supplement protein into their diet, in addition to the protein they get from the foods they eat.

If you are going to take a protein supplement (usually comes in the form of a powdered shake) make sure that it is very high quality protein. Otherwise it will be useless and could do more harm to you body than good.

Whey protein vs. Soy protein: You will find that most protein supplements found in stores and on-line are whey protein. Whey Protein Isolate is the protein extracted from whey, the liquid by-product of cheese production.

There are some concerns you should be aware of that have to do with whey protein. For one, it is not a complete source of protein, it contains fat, and it contains lactose (potential issue for those who are intolerant).

There are many concerns about the milk source the whey came from: the health of the animal it came from, animal by-products, growth hormones, disease, pesticides, fertilizers, drugs etc. Some people are also allergic to dairy products.

Soy Protein Isolate, on the other hand, is protein that is extracted from the soybean, eliminating fats and certain acids. Overall, in my opinion, soy protein is much better than whey protein as a protein supplement source because it is natural and plant based, as opposed to animal based, which raises the same concerns as the whey products that I listed above.

However, there are some concerns with Soy Protein Isolate, so if you are going to buy a soy protein supplement it needs to be of the highest quality and purity. The source of the soy beans is important.

Are the soy beans organic, or fertilized and drugged? The processing methods used to make the soy protein can also adversely affect the potency and purity of the protein. Many companies process their soy protein too much, which prevents the retention of beneficial substances. Some people are also allergic to soy.

Many companies also alcohol-wash their soy flakes during production of things like soy milk, soy cheese, tofu, soy burgers,and even their soy protein supplements. Well not only do you not want to ingest something that has been washed with alcohol, this technique causes the loss of approximately 88% of the isoflavone conent.

What are isoflavones? Isoflavones are natural plant nutrients that mimic the function of human estrogen. Soy protein isolate should be water-washed, instead of alcohol washed, this ensures isoflavone content and is a cleaner, more natural way to clean and process the soy flakes.

There are a lot of kinds of protein supplements out there, but you need to make sure that you take the most natural form of plant-based protein supplement possible. I find that non-genetically modified soy protein works best for me.

Also make sure that you get sufficient amounts of protein from your diet. Do your research, even try a couple different kinds and pick what you feel works best for you.

Either way the company you buy your protein from should be able to give you all of the ingredients, tests, trials, and research to prove to you why their protein works the best. They also should offer a money back guarantee. If they can't or don't just don't buy it because they are hiding something.

It is very unfortunate that most companies care about profit more than quality because it leaves us, the consumer, without much understanding as to what is best and with many products that are of little to no nutritional content to us. Usually the product with the best ads on the television, instead of quality, sells the most.

So don't be easily persuaded and make sure that you read all of the research, ingredients, testing, and processing methods before you buy a protein supplement.

Whether you are an athlete, body builder, or just someone trying to get healthier, the amount and quality of protein you put in your body is of vital importance to your overall health and wellness.

To Your Health,

Diet Health & Fitness
'Blog Squad'

DietHealthandFitness.com

P.S. Get a FREE Body Profile Analysis - Click Here now.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Top Things We'd Rather Spend Our Hard Earned Money On Than Health Supplements

Why is it that we will, at the drop of a hat, spend money on all kinds of junk we don't need, some of which we even put into our own body. Most of it serves no real purpose other than to satisfy our external desires.

Really feeling good comes from being healthy, and we need to pay more attention to what we put into our bodies. This will help us lose weight, avoid illness and above all, feel healthy.

When trying to enlighten people on the benefits of eating healthy and taking high quality supplements I always hear the same excuse over and over again, "but eating healthy is too expensive and I can't afford it."

What? I watch these same people go out and buy all kinds of crap they don't need like the latest designer clothes, their thirtieth pair of shoes, plasma tv's, their brand new car, the latest golf club, a bigger boat, or the latest craze or gimmick to be seen all over the television.

Most people even take better care of their car than their own bodies. That is kind of sad if you think about it.

I saw a very obese guy at my mechanic's garage the other day bragging, "I only use the best gas, always keep up on routine maintenance, and I always keep my truck (a very nice one, by the way) in the garage. That way it will last forever, and run like a champion."

Have you ever tried to define irony? This guy's truck is going to outlive him. I sure hope he gets all of the fast food and junk he eats into his mouth and not on the nice leather seats!

Honestly, what happened to the way people think, spend money, and the priorities in their lives? Why are many people's lives so abundant in many external areas, but when it comes to health, they have nothing to show for it.

For you to really feel good about yourself you need to feel good on the inside and that only comes from your body being healthy. Once you are healthy, go ahead and spend money on whatever external things you want. You will feel better about buying them and will be able to enjoy them more when you are healthy.

You will find that even cutting out junk food will give you the money you need to afford high quality supplements and organic food. I can't tell you the difference this practice has made in my life.

I used to spend money on all kinds of stuff I did not need: pizza, candy bars, chocolate, fast food, cookies, soda, sweets, coffee, alcohol, and cigarettes. What overall good was all of that stuff doing for me? Nothing. I was eating with my mouth and brain and not my body. That stuff tastes great and creates a happy chemical response in my brain right away, but it made me feel awful about twenty minutes after I ate it. Not to mention it made me fat.

Since I changed my spending habits to include more healthier choices I have noticed a huge increase in my weight, how I feel and my overall health. I have had more energy in the last two years than I have had at any point in my life. And I know it is because I took control of my health.

I am not saying to never indulge and enjoy junk food from time to time, but imagine how much healthier you would be and how much better you would look if you could buy foods are healthy for you instead?

Yes it is hard to do away with some material desires, but the rewards are amazing if you can shift some of your spending habits to benefit yourself instead of your outer image.

To Your Health,

Diet Health & Fitness
'Blog Squad'

DietHealthandFitness.com

P.S. Get a FREE Body Profile Analysis - Click Here now.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

What! Fat is Good For Us?

Ever look at pictures of people that were taken before 1970? You will probably be able to notice something different about them if you compare them with pictures of people today. They are not fat, and almost all of them look healthy. How many people do you see on a daily basis today that look really healthy?

Were our parents or grandparents exercising more than us? Did they have better exercise science? Did they work harder than we do? Were they taking special weight loss products we don't have today? Why in the world do they all look so healthy and skinny?

It all has to do with the type of fat they were consuming in their diet. Food was not altered then and everybody ate natural and organic foods, that is all there was. I don't know when or why it happened, but gradually food companies started looking for and began using cheaper ways of manufacturing food to increase their profit.

Thanks to the food companies, we get to eat all kinds of preservatives and unnatural fats they put in the food to give it a longer shelf life, this saves us a little money, makes the food companies a lot of money, and makes us fat and unhealthy. Then the food companies even figured out to somehow trick us into believing that things like margarine are better for us than actual butter.

When did we start believing major, publicly traded corporations could outsmart nature? I guess television advertisements and marketing can really mess with people's perceptions.

What is natural fat? There are three kinds of naturally occurring, "good" fats, to be aware of. They are saturated fats (butter, animal fats), poly-unsaturated fats (fish oils, vegetable oil, canola oil, corn oil), and mono-unsaturated fats (olive oil, nut oils,).

These "good" fats help give us energy, keep us warm by cushioning organs, keep our brain, nerves, skin and hair healthy. They also aid in cell division, growth and repair.

Obviously if you eat too much "good fats" you can gain weight, and raise your cholesterol, but overall they are very good for you. Use your common sense and follow a healthy diet. Also get your blood pressure and cholesterol levels checked once a year by a certified health care provider.

NOTE: As you read this next section please keep in mind that poly-unsaturated fats (oils) are very reactive and literally "go bad" or turn "toxic" very quickly when exposed to heat, oxygen or light.

As we process our food, unfortunately we extract natural oils that are found in fruits, nuts and seeds. How are those oils extracted? (Remember to keep the above note in mind).

The seeds are crushed and heated to extremely high temperatures. They use pressure to squeeze the oil out, this generates even more heat. The oil is then exposed to oxygen and light and treated with solvents (vitamin E is destroyed during this process).

Often two toxic substances are added to the oils as a preservative. So the result of all of this; rotten, or toxic oil is extracted out for further processing.

However, there are a couple of safe alternatives that are being used to extract natural oils. They are expeller-pressed or cold pressed processing, which extracts the natural oils under low temperature and with minimal light and oxygen exposure. Most of the oils in packaged food available at your local health food store use the expeller pressing method.

Back to the toxic processing. After the (bad) oils are extracted they are often put through a hydrogenation process, this is usually done, once again, to extend a product's shelf life. Liquid oils go through this process to turn them into fats that are solid at room temperature (margarine).

During this process the oils are subject to starch, hydrogen gas, steam cleaning (to remove the 'bad' odor ), and are usually bleached for color. Yes I said bleached!

I bet you did not know that margarine's natural color is grey, not a creamy yellow like butter. That is why they bleach it, so it looks like butter.

What type of fat we are left with for consumption after all that processing? Trans fats.

Another negative side effect of the hydrogenation process is that the natural fat's molecular formation is altered. The altered formation, which is rarely found in nature is called a trans-formation, hence the name trans fats. I was never the best science student so I am not going to explain all of this in detail, it would get too confusing.

I'll tell you what you need to know. The potential health dangers of hydrogenated products and trans fats. They have been shown to increase your bad cholesterol and lower your good cholesterol levels, have been suspected to cause cancer and heart disease, and cause an increase in body weight.

What foods contain hydrogenated vegetable oil and trans fats? Most of the food in the aisles at your grocery store (prepared, packaged, instant foods). All margarines, most salad dressings, bread, cereal, cookies, baked foods, donuts, pies etc. are also loaded with hydrogenated oils and trans fats.

Please check the labels and ingredients of the food you buy. This will help you recognize what products are made with hydrogenated oils and trans fats. Do your best to eliminate as much of them from your diet as possible.

Think of your body like a Porsche; would you put cheap gas in a Porsche? What if you put "bad" oil into it? How would it drive?

How much money would it cost you later on when many mechanical problems start to go wrong because of it running on cheap gas its whole life? How much money would you be paying to mechanics to see your maltreated Porsche again and again every year?

If you would not treat your car this way, then why in the world would you put toxic food into your body?

To Your Health,

Diet Health & Fitness
'Blog Squad'

DietHealthandFitness.com

P.S. Get a FREE Body Profile Analysis - Click Here now.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Revealed! The Difference Between a High Quality Vitamin and a Dud

A vitamin is just a vitamin, isn't it? With so many nutritional supplements out there, many people believe that all vitamin and health supplement products are the same. Well, they are not.

Many people just buy the cheapest vitamins or supplements available, or the one from the television ad that got their attention. Let me be clear about this, don't believe a lot of what you hear and read in advertisements.

All advertisements are designed by professional ad designers who specialize in creating sayings and images that stick into your subconscious mind, whether you like it or not. They even do studies to prove what ads are the most effective and brainwash you the most.

For every ad you see, there were dozens of other versions that were rejected. You only see, hear, or read the ad that works the best to brainwash you.

They know that if their ad hits the right triggers in your brain over and over again, you will eventually buy their product. Each company spends tons of money on luring more customers to stores instead of spending it to improve upon their products or test their quality. Great products spread the word on their own through word of mouth advertising.

Each company has advertising teams and divisions within the company that do nothing but focus on how to get you, the consumer, tricked into buying their products. Your decision to buy has little to do with any research you did on your part because you just believed everything they told you.

Ask other people, try things, make your own decisions, you will find that a lot of people have been ripping you off and feeding you a lot of B.S. Great products create a buzz and happy repeat customers on their own through word of mouth advertising.

Back to the vitamins! Let's use vitamin C (ascorbic acid) as an example. Most people would think that vitamin C could only be vitamin C, so that is why they think that all brands are the same. What they don't know is where the orange came from and how the vitamin C was extracted.

Can we agree that mother nature knows the best and most exact formula for providing vitamin C on the molecular level? I am not going to give you a science class here, but I need to prove a valid point.

Some natural health companies are selling products that are derived from nature, and nature alone. Other companies, unfortunately, do not use mother nature as their source and they end up with vitamin bricks. They look like a vitamin, taste like a vitamin, but they are molecularly different.

Other companies follow almost all of the rules except the oranges that they get the vitamin C from are not organic, and are grown with fertilizers, hormones, and pesticides. This dramatically reduces the nutrient contend within the orange, thus depleting the amount of vitamin C within the orange.

Some companies get half way there by using nature as the source, but then they isolate the vitamin from the natural ingredients it lives with in nature. Vitamin C, for example, is never found alone in nature. This breaks the bond of synergy within the orange.

This creates an imbalance with the laws of nature. The laws of nature, on a molecular level, is all your body is aware of. The only way your body knows how to build its health is by following its molecular laws. When they are broken, or your body is given something with a different molecular make up than it is supposed to have, your body does not know what to do with it.

Think of Van Gogh, or your favorite artist. Most people can recognize their work, but the original artwork is absolutely flawless and worth millions of dollars in some cases. Many prints are made every year, some duplicates are even made with texture to look just like the real thing.

But are they the real thing? To the untrained eye people would not be able to tell the difference, but you as a fan of their work, and anybody trained in studying artwork to determine its worth sure can tell.

Which copy of the artwork is worth more? The fake one or the real thing? Which would you rather have hanging in your house? Which would you tell your friends about? Would you brag about owning a fake?

Mother nature is no different, it is beautiful, flawless and is best left untouched and unduplicated. People will continue to try to duplicate nature, but I am afraid they will fail, time after time.

So do your research next time you are going to buy vitamins, or any nutritional supplement for that matter. Make sure that the company can tell you where the vitamins and ingredients came from so you can be sure that they are potent and pure. Also don't ever buy vitamins or supplements unless they have a money-back guarantee. That way you can try them and send them back if they don't work.

To Your Health,

Diet Health & Fitness
'Blog Squad'

DietHealthandFitness.com

P.S. Get a FREE Body Profile Analysis - Click Here now.

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