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The nutrition site for all women of every size

THE RIGHT MULTI VITAMIN FOR COMPLETE NOURISHMENT

Supplements are meant to add an 'extra' boost to your current eating plan, replacing what is lost in processing, cooking, and in agriculture. They work replace the needed essential nutrients that you are unable to get from diet alone.

However, eating right is always where you want to begin if you want to lose fat, build muscle and remain or become healthy but if you know that you are nutrient deficient and that your diet requires supplementation, then here are some pointers to keep in mind when deciding what supplements to take and how to take them.

It is usually best to take supplement with meals rather than on an empty stomach because the presence of stomach acid facilitates the absorption of minerals and the fats and oils usually present in meals assist in the transportation of fat soluble vitamins.

If you have a specific deficiency or need for a specific nutrient in your diet, you can maximise it's absorption by taking the nutrient on its own but otherwise there is no need to take more of a nutrient supplement outside of taking a multivitamin/mineral supplement if you don't have to. Doing so is both costly and far too time consuming.

There are also certain drug-nutrient interactions that interfere with nutrient absorption and thus increases your need for additional supplementation. Aspirin is known to increase the need for vitamin C, oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy increases the need for B6, B12, folic acid and zinc and taking antibiotics can deplete you of B vitamins and good bacteria.

It's best to consult with your physician if you are taking any prescribed or over the counter medication to see if they are either a nutrient-depleting combination or even a potentially dangerous combination such as the case with certain anti-depressants.

ESSENTIAL MINERAL AND VITAMIN DEFICIENCIES IN WOMEN IS ON THE RISE

For most women, eating a variety of foods is hard to come by. Nutritional supplements are required for many circumstances. Supplements of one or more nutrients are a good idea for people with: Serious digestive disorders, osteoporosis, poor appetites, if you on strict a weight loss diet, if you are breastfeeding, planning a pregnancy, are a vegetarian that chooses not to eat meat, poultry, fish, milk or eggs or if you are HIV Positive.

The immune system requires a huge amount of essential nutrients (protein, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, etc.) to fight off HIV infection, but if the intestines become swollen or damaged at the onset of the infection, the absorption of nutrients from food is hindered and less nutrients are able to be stored within the body. Worse, the production of damaging molecules known as 'free radicals' are also often also a result. To prevent free radicals from causing further harm and distress, the body requires several nutrients that include vitamins C and E, the amino acid cysteine and alpha and beta-carotenes, lycopene and other carotinoids.

NUTRITION AND STRESS

STRESS CAN LEAD TO ESSENTIAL VITAMIN AND MINERAL DEFICIENCIES!

Good nutrition is an important component in the proper functioning of the body's immune system. If the immune system is constantly stressed from poor eating habits such as forgetting to eat, skipping meals entirely, consuming too much caffeine, alcohol, sugar, salt, or fat, overeating, undereating, or even because of fad dieting, it will lead to serious vitamin and mineral deficiences.

During stressful situations, your body requires energy from the foods you eat, food in the forms of carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

Carbohydrates are stored as glycogen in the liver and in the muscles, protein is stored in mainly muscles and fat from your body fat stores. The energy to cope with stress relies on the nutrients aquired from these stored foods, but if you fail to replenish your glycogen, protein and fat stores as needed, you will run yourself dry.

Certain key vitamins and minerals are a cause for concern for people who are experiencing stressful times.

Vitamin C is needed for the maintenance of normal blood levels, when stress depletes the body of it, the body's resistance to infection and disease increases.

B vitamins assist in the development and maintenance of the nervous system. A deficiency in B vitamins increases the risk of stress related symptoms such as depression, fatigue and irritability.

The essential mineral calcium is removed from the bones during times of stress and the mineral magnesium is lost from the cells of the body and excreted through urinary excretion. Thus, calcium and magnesium replenishment is required for nourishment.

So prepare your body for stressful times or if you are suffering from chronic stress and you know your diet is not supplying you with enough stored minerals and vitamins, then supplementing with a multi-vitamin/mineral fomula is a good idea.

FEEDING YOUR BRAIN IS EQUALLY AS IMPORTANT AS FEEDING YOUR STOMACH

Vitamins and minerals are the core building blocks that our body's cells, tissues, and organs use to perform their daily functions. Vitamins and minerals directly affect brain cell activity in the hippocampus. The hippocampus is an area of the brain that controls learning, memory and nerve cell communication. This is why it is highly recommeded that you start each day off by taking a good multivitamin-mineral formula, especially if you know you are not eating right, are experiencing heavy stress, live with a hectic schedule, or are suffering from illness.

FIND OUT IF YOU ARE DEPLETED OF ESSENTIAL VITAMINS AND MINERALS

Most people may not realize it, but it's inevitable. Our nation's population is at risk for major health problems because of the deteriorated nature of our current food supply. Malnourishment from unhealthy food choices in the form of excessive calories, food allergies, essential nutrient deficiencies, abnormal biological disturbances, and chemical toxicity occurs when packaged and processed food replaces real food. Just look at what's on the shelves of grocery stores today. It's all boxed, canned, bottled, convenient, and snack foods. Even food vending machines carry synthetic, processed foods that are toxic to good health.

Unfortunately, it's these foods that make up the core of many diets. These foods are extremely harmful and robs the body of the essential nutrients it needs for optimal health. Malnourishment is found and easily detected through various and obvious symptoms. A noticeable weight loss or gain, mood swings, long term or chronic fatigue, a pale complexion, brittle nails, dry hair with little or no shine, eyes sunken in, a lack of energy, poor concentration and cognitive development, anemia, stunted growth (depending on age), decreased immune function, amenorrhea in females (loss of menstrual periods), impaired thyroid function, increased susceptibility to infections, gum infections, poor dental health, and the list goes on.

Vitamins are essential nutrients that have no calories and they work to assist other each other in the digestion and absorption processes of the body. Research further shows that a deficiency in even just three vitamins can double the chances of developing Alzheimer's disease. A vitamin deficiency also increases your risk of heart disease.

For most people, eating a variety of foods provides all the necessary nutrients required for healthy living. Unfortunately very few people do just that. When was the last time you made a point of getting the right amount of recommended nutrients each day from all the food you ate to make sure you weren't losing out on the intake of all essential nutrients our body requires for optimal health?

Nutritional supplements are required in many circumstances. For women who are pregnant or are breastfeeding, for people who omit entire food groups from their diets, for the aging who are consuming less calories a day, for children and adolescents not eating healthy food choices and for people on very low calorie diets.

There may also be medical reasons to use vitamin and mineral supplements. Vitamin and mineral supplements are useful for certain health conditions. There are also certain lifestyle and life stages where you might need extra nutrition. Periods of high stress, pregnancy, childhood and adolescent development, if you are dieting, if you are ill and if you are physically active on a regular basis usually require additional supplementation on a regular basis.