Be Healthy

By: DrMelissa

In my last article, “Why Do We Need To Take Supplements”, we discussed the importance of taking natural supplements to support our body and our immune system.  But which supplements do we take and how do we know which supplements are the best ones?  With billions being spent every year on supplements, it is very important you understand that not all supplements are created equal….there are sometimes very vast differences between one product and another.

So let’s talk about the difference between “Whole Food Based” and “Synthetic or Isolated or Fractionated” Supplements.  A great example would be just to simply look at almost any Multi-Vitamin.  When you scan the nutritional content fact and ingredient label, you’ll see quite an assortment of vitamins….Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, etc.  Here is a portion of a label from a common multi-vitamin:

Now obviously there are alot more vitamins listed on this label than I had room for, but I think you get the idea.  Specifically, I want you to pay attention to the items listed under “Ingredients”.  Those are what we call “Isolated” vitamins and other “chemicals”.  There are no foods or herbal ingredients listed; only partial vitamins and other chemicals.  Nature intended for us to consume food in its WHOLE form because all the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and enzymes are together in one package and work synergistically together to bring your body the nutrition that it needs.  When you take one part away from the whole, you get “Synthetic”, “Isolated” or “Fractionated” pieces of the whole, but it is simply not the same.   The other problem is that by taking isolated vitamins, sometimes we are getting “massive” doses of some vitamins, but not enough of others.   Over time, this can cause health problems too and aren’t we trying to get healthy rather than cause more problems?

Whole-Food based supplements are different.  Typically, they will list the foods that the supplement was made from.  Here is an example of what to look for when searching for a Whole-Food based product.  Notice that under the supplemental facts, you’ll still see all the Vitamins listed, but see the difference under the Ingredients….now, there is actual WHOLE food listed:

What a difference this 2nd product will make in your body vs. the first product!  You’ll actually be gaining benefits from the WHOLE food and all of the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and enzymes that occur naturally in the food or plant.

Another way that might make sense is to look at the source.  When it says “Vitamin C” on the label, what is the source of that Vitamin C?  What you want to see listed in the ingredient list is the foods; i.e., Citrus Fruits, Papaya, Bell Peppers, etc.  If you see “Ascorbic Acid” listed, that means it is an “Isolated” product.  Keep searching for one that lists the whole foods.

In summary, be sure you read your labels!  It is important to educate yourself about what you’ll be putting into your body and supplements are no different than anything else.   In one of my prior articles, “Reading Food Labels”, we discussed the importance of reading the labels on the foods you’re eating, but it’s just as important if not more so, to be sure you’re reading all of your supplemental labels!  You want to be consuming supplements that have actual whole food, plants or herbs listed on the label; that way you know it is as close to natural as possible!  And lastly, understand that no supplement alone will help you achieve the level of health you desire….you will have to make lifestyle and behavior changes AND take supplements in order to achieve ultimate health.

About the Author

Naturopathic Doctor in San Antonio, Texas. Specializing in Health Coaching and Stress Relief to help you be the healthiest you can be!
http://www.MelissaWood.com

(ArticlesBase SC #889060)

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ – Whole Food vs. Synthetic Supplements

With more than 1 out of 3 adults in the US (70 million) taking OTC or prescription pills for digestive disorders and the pain associated with them, as a nation, we have serious health problems. And we’re spreading our problems around the world.

What most people are frustrated with is that even if they eat how most health professionals consider to be healthy, a large percentage of people STILL experience digestive problems. And so most people resort to drugs, surgery or eating bland foods. Or they just continue to suffer.

That’s why the Great Taste No Pain System was developed — to help slash some of the $42 billion dollars spent on those pills in the US alone.

This simple eating system is designed to dramatically reduce the acid pH measure in a person’s entire body — not just in the stomach. It does so by increasing the ratio of alkaline forming foods eaten and by showing you how to combine foods in a way that radically decreases the amount of acid digestive juices in the stomach and small intestines required to break down foods. With me so far? Hope so, because this is important stuff.

One of the primary components of the Great Taste No Pain System is the science of food combining, which was first introduced into the US in 1911 by Dr. William Hay, a New York surgeon who used it to cure his Bright’s Disease, a kidney disease which was often fatal at that time. In fact, among the many thousands of lives it claimed was Teddy Roosevelt’s first wife, who died of Bright’s Disease at just 22 years of age.

A basic knowledge of Junior High chemistry is all it takes to see the logic behind this science: Mixing foods that require alkaline digestive enzymes with foods that require acid digestive enzymes slows and can even stop the digestive process. It can and does delay digestion by as much as 10 hours and more. This is incredibly bad for the body. The Great Taste No Pain system alleviates this problem, speeding food through your body, allowing it to absorb nutrients from foods at a much higher level.

In addition, one of the manuals in the Great Taste No Pain system, ‘Foods That Create Acid, Foods That Take It Away,’ is as clear as I’ve ever seen this data presented. Follow this simple guide and your body will use a minimum of energy in the digestion process, which leaves more energy for healing and other daily functions your body carries out.

This is a timely set of guides, because with our society’s addiction to the convenience of processed foods, in many respects our health challenges are far worse than they were in 1911.

Great Taste No Pain author, Sherry Brescia, was a former Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) sufferer herself. In fact, in 1991, she spent 7 days in the hospital with bacterial colitis.

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Today is the day you can begin to learn and take action that will help you to achieve your health and wellness goals. With information and knowledge comes power…

-  The power to change your life
-  The power to heal
-  The power to find health, energy and happiness.

This page is designed to explain some vital concepts about your body and nutrition.

Welcome to Regenerative Health 101

Every Sickness & Disease Begins On a Cellular Level

The human body contains around 80 to 100 Trillion Cells! It is an incredibly complex system of resources that is necessary to keep this machine called a human body working. If we are to address any issue in the body or help keep the body functioning, we must learn how to provide our bodies with the necessary resources it needs in the correct form. This all occurs on a cellular level.

Around 60 million of body cells die and rebuild Every Minute or Every Day! To keep this fantastic process going 24 hours a day, we must provide each and every living cell in our bodies 5 specific resources:

-  Minerals
-  Vitamins
-  Oxygen
-  Water
-  Proteins

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A Little Bit of Fun

Someone had  to remind me, so I’m reminding you too. Don’t laugh

01. Kidnappers are not very interested in you.

02. In a hostage situation you are likely to be released first.

03. No one expects you to run — anywhere.

04. People call at 9 PM and ask, did I wake you?

05. People no longer view you as a hypochondriac.

06. There is nothing left to learn the hard way.

07. Things you buy now won’t wear out.

08. You can eat supper at 4 PM.

09. You can live without sex but not your glasses.

10. You get into heated arguments about pension plans.

11. You no longer think of speed limits as a challenge.

12. You quit trying to hold your stomach in no matter who walks into the room.

13. You sing along with elevator music.

14. Your eyes won’t get much worse.

15 . Your investment in health insurance is finally beginning to pay off.

16. Your joints are more accurate meteorologists than the national weather service.

17. Your secrets are safe with your friends because they can’t remember them either.

18. Your supply of brain cells is finally down to manageable size.

19. You can’t remember who sent you this list.

And you notice these are all in Big Print for your convenience.

And Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.

Today, I wanted to alert you to something will afflict 40% of the adult population (or more) at some point of their lives. It’s called hemorrhoids or piles and it’s basically any form of vein inflammation around the lower rectal regions.

Blood on your toilet paper? Itching in your anus area? Pain during constipation? All of these are likely signs that you may have hemorrhoids and it’s no laughing matter – because although common, they can be annoying and embarrassing.

In the more severe stages, they can fall out like a lump outside your bottom. So what are some common mistakes that people make which contribute to developing this common condition? Even if you have these already, avoiding the following 3 mistakes can start relieving the problem gradually.

Mistake #1:  Eating too much processed food

This can be a toughie for some people. However, it’s known that processed foods create harder stool and troubles in digestion. This creates constipation and other issues which can lead to hemorrhoids. The key here, especially when you are suffering and trying to cure hemorrhoids, is to lower your intake of processed sugars and foods.

Mistake #2: Sedentary lifestyle

A lot of long term sitting can create additional pressure on the bottom area and this invokes the perfect environment for a hemorrhoid to occur if combined with a sharp force such as constipation or pregnancy (in women). The solution is to make sure you do not sit for over 1 hour at a time, and remember to do stretches that promote healthy blood flow.

Mistake #3: Intake of processed medication and creams

This creates the same potential problem as processed foods. Even many of the fiber supplements contain processed and artificial elements that can create side-effects elsewhere… and lastly they are not even attacking the root of the problem here.

The other downside of these creams which do no benefit is that they waste one’s time and the hemorrhoid can get worse over time if the root problem is not reversed.

So try to avoid these 3 mistakes and you will not be contributing to any worsening of hemorrhoids. It’s very important to understand these in our modern lifestyle of sedentary office work and processed, convenient diets.

San Diego, California (CNN) — Welcome to 2010. What is your New Year’s resolution? Are you planning on investing more money into the annual $40 billion dieting industry? If so, please think again.

As we start our workweek, many of us are looking in the mirror and saying “Yuck. I feel fat, uncomfortable and need to go on a diet.”

Dieting and the language of “fat” have become so normal that we don’t think twice before we say, “I have to go on a diet, I have gained so much weight.”

If we are parents of teenagers, we may as well be saying to them, “Change yourself, fix your body. You’re not perfect and never will be.” Is this how we want to empower our youth?

You spend countless hours raising your child with the values of honesty, integrity and the importance of the work ethic. But if you are dieting and complaining about how fat you are, you could be putting your teenager at risk for an eating disorder. As a psychologist who has been treating eating disorders since 1985, I worry that there could be a connection between dieting parents and teenagers who develop anorexia or bulimia.

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