Lifestyle Choices

A. Supplements — Who needs them?

You have now read about some of the benefits and characteristics of the nutrients considered essential to maintaining optimum health. So the question arises: do you need to supplement? Do you need to take vitamin and mineral pills, or a separate antioxidant supplement? There are some who say you get all you need from a healthy diet, and supplements are just expensive urine. Others see supplements as essential. So what should you do?

Ideally, a healthy and varied diet would provide your body with all the nutrients it needs. In some cases, however, food is grown in depleted soils or artificially under lights in hothouses. For example, selenium content in soils is varied and regional. New Zealand soils are quite low in selenium, as are parts of Australia, South Africa and North America, but it is important as an antioxidant and in supporting Vitamin E in your body.

Different circumstances and lifestyles can all take a toll on your health. In times of high emotional or physical stress, your body may need some extra support. While supplementation is not a substitute for a quality diet, it can certainly offer those with nutritional concerns some peace of mind.

B. Free Radicals and Antioxidants

The worst thing about getting old is not getting old.

Let’s have a look at these very important elements of a healthy lifestyle. In advertising, the word ‘antioxidant‘ is often used to tell the consumer a product is the superior anti-aging cure. But can a cream, pill or potion really stop the aging process? And why are we so obsessed about growing older?

First you need to understand what human aging is, the effects it has and how it happens. We start aging from the moment we are born. Lovely thought, isn’t it? The process is called oxidation and it is one of the most powerful forms of decay on our planet

Oxidation is caused by unstable molecules or atoms, which damage almost everything thy touch. These unstable structures are known as oxygen free radicals. Why ‘unstable‘? Well, stable atom has its electrons in pairs, whereas an unstable atom has lost one of its electroi and is racing around madly, intent to get one back. Free radicals are very unstable. They don care where or how they get that other vital electron from, and can attach to healthy cel or strip them of vital components, causing impaired function and chronic injury.

There are many kinds of free radicals. They are created inside the body as a response to stres UV radiation or an improper diet and increasingly to air and water pollution. Sun-damage skin and hair are two visible examples of free radicals at work, but they are also very presen in many other degenerative conditions including cancer, heart disease, cataracts and pre mature aging.

As stress and pollution levels rise, the need for antioxidants increases. So do we get enougi variety and quality from the foods we eat to maintain this modern, hectic lifestyle, or do w( need to take a supplement? We believe that it is a good idea to take an extra antioxidant t( supplement your diet. Be aware, however, that the body needs its nutrients in the right pro. portions. There is no point in taking huge amounts of Vitamin E (a well-known antioxidant on its own to treat sun-damaged skin, as antioxidants work more naturally in synergy wit( each other. You would be better off taking a combination of the naturally occurring antioxidants like Vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene), Vitamin C, Vitamin E, as well as selenium and zinc.

Where to find natural antioxidants

Antioxidants are certain minerals and vitamins, which are found in food sources. There are now many substances available from both natural and synthetic sources. Many (and certainly not all) of them can mimic the properties of natural antioxidants. A good rule of thumb is to see if the ingredients included in an antioxidant supplement are part of the natural human diet. If they are not, for example, if they come from tree bark, then do you thin) it would be appropriate to add them to the human food chain? Some studies suggest not.

But, remember, one dose of antioxidants will not give you a healthy, youthful body fore\ They must be continually replaced in your diet to keep pace with free radical production. a diet laden with fresh, unprocessed wholefoods is essential.

C. Vitamin and Mineral Supplements

Many people today take vitamin products. There is no doubt that many offer nutritior insurance. However, studies have shown that some supplements are poorly digested and ix through the body without much benefit. We have both taken supplements over the years f all sorts of reasons. Often we relied on health professionals or pharmacy assistants to advi us as to which supplements we should take and how often. We placed our health in the han of people we didn’t even know and who may have had little idea what our bodies neede By educating yourself and continuing to learn about supplements you will, over time, mal more sophisticated decisions about which ones to take and how to optimise your diet wil quality supplements. The responsibility lies in your hands.

Blanket supplementation — the multi

If you are concerned about your nutritional status, taking a multivitamin is better than tak ing nothing. It gets people thinking about their health and well-being and provides some basic cover. However, not all multivitamins contain adequate levels of the vitamins your bod needs, and a lot of vitamins and minerals, when put together in a multi, antagonise ear other. For example, folic acid should not be present with zinc; iron and Vitamin E antagonis or work against one another in a supplement; and the B vitamins are better taken as complex supplement on their own, not with an antioxidant.

D. Giving the Body the Time it needs

Did you know it takes your blood cells up to three months for complete renewal? It takes u to six months to renew cells from your muscles and organs. Bones and teeth can take up t a year. So to expect a supplement to make radical changes overnight is unrealistic.

Remember, our bodies are finely tuned and in harmony with nature. A beautiful flower doe not appear out of nowhere. A plant must be healthy to flower; it creates a bud that grow its precious contents inside, eventually opening over a few hours or days, gradually opening to full bloom. In other words: it takes time.

To gain the best result from your vitamin and mineral supplements, you need to take ther over time, and not sporadically. Also look at the big picture: if you are fatigued, then sup plementation may be important, but so is a good night’s sleep and good food.

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
So Much Things About Food supplements You Should Know

• THE FACTS: NUTRITION QUACKERY
• Secrets of HOLFORD LOW-GL DIET Rule No 3 & 4
• The Nutrition of Hair
• Why You Have The Hair You Do
• Guidelines for Buying Health Supplements
• Why are you Overweight?
• Mild Acne and Avoidable Acne relates to Cosmetics, Clothing, Perfume
• Hair Health and Beauty From The Outside
• Soy Oil, the Food Products From Soybeans
• Hair Problem Solving Part 2