vitamins

Millions and millions of people spend billions and billions of dollars on vitamin supplements every year. In 2004, 19.6 billion dollars was spent on this phenomenon. Many people think they are preventing heart disease or cancer by popping every vitamin supplement they can get their hands on. What many fail to realize, however, is that with the water soluble vitamins (B vitamins and vitamin C), whatever is not used is eliminated each day. Stocking up on these vitamins therefore, is not possible.

As far as the fat soluble vitamins, vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin D and vitamin E, whatever is not used is stored in the liver so stockpiling these vitamins could lead to toxic results.

If you have a medical condition which makes it difficult to absorb certain vitamins or are showing a deficiency, you can generally find a vitamin supplement to step in and pick up the slack. However, with some vitamins, E and K for example, vitamin deficiency is rare unless you have a medical condition which prevents the absorption of these vitamins. By taking a vitamin supplement when your body already has an adequate supply, you run the risk of toxicity.

You should always discuss it with your doctor before taking a vitamin supplement as some of them can interfere with certain medications. That's just one of the dangers of taking a vitamin supplement without discussing it with your doctor first. Another real danger is when people don't go to the doctor at all, but instead diagnose themselves and load up on a vitamin supplement of one kind or another.

Another thing to keep in mind is there are man-made, or synthetic vitamin supplements, just as there are natural vitamin supplements. Those may be called whole food vitamin supplement or organic whole food vitamin supplement, but either way, they are different than man-made.

A simple blood test can test the levels of nutrients in your body. It's best to include your doctor in your concerns. Perhaps you do need a vitamin supplement because of a real deficiency and you are taking the wrong one. How can you really know which supplements you need or don't need without involving your doctor?

Sadly, because of the lack of regulation in this field, it is too easy for the unscrupulous to inflate or even invent claims of the multiple healing powers of a vitamin supplement. More than one promoter of these false claims has been forced to pay a hefty fine for their outrageous claims.

One rule of thumb: Don't rely on vitamin supplement information that is provided by the seller as their information may be tainted by their greed. Instead, you can find all the information you need from medical and government sources that are unbiased to try to find the best vitamin supplement for you.

And don't forget Fido! A good vitamin supplement for dog could be just what the vet ordered!

Vitamin D and Facts

Have you ever thought about the sun, or the powers that it holds? It is over 92 million miles from Earth, yet it is the center of the solar system and by the power of gravity holds every planet in its orbit. In the same breath, it can ripen a fruit or vegetable to just the proper nutrition. It's ultraviolet rays shine on our skin, and create from the fats there, a cholesterol substance called Vitamin D. So right here we see that we can get good cholesterol from going out into the sun. Something, sadly to say, society as a whole doesn't do enough of now days.Here is a little know fact. Water, even cold water, will wash it away. (So always take your sunbath after your swim.) And once the skin is deeply tanned the sun can't form any more. So regulate your tans for that reason as well as cancer transformations too. Also, the winter sun gradually loses it power, so that even a hot sun on a December ski slope is creating about a tenth as much vitamin D as the suns of July.Vitamin D has only three food sources: An egg yolk (sun-round and sun-yellow); the seeds of sunflowers, which, mysteriously, always keep their faces lifted to the sun, and salt water fish like cod and halibut, which swim deep and far from the sun, yet have rich stores of it in their liver, along with vitamin A.Vitamin D has been mislabeled since, it isn't found altogether in foods, therefore that it functions more like a hormone. But it is absolutely critical to the health of our skin, our eyes and the building of strong teeth and bones.In the past and predominately during the Industrial Revolution rickets began seriously to deform the bodies of children working in factories. At first this bone crippling disease was blamed on lack of calcium. Then recognized as lack of sunshine for even when these youngsters went outdoors the air was thick with coal smoke. By 1919 it was discovered the disease could be prevented and cured by cod- liver oil; therefore the habit of the past, of giving it to children, when they looked or acted the slightest ill. It was many years yet, before vitamin D was identified as the healing substance in the oil.When the body is low in Vitamin D, it also cannot utilize calcium. Calcium cannot be absorbed into the bloodstream or deposited in the bones, nor can it be withdrawn from the bones as needed. Normally we think of calcium primarily as important to teeth and bones. However it has been found that calcium is in constant demand, and every activity we do it is used. Vitamin D insures that calcium gets where it's needed, even if that calcium has to be stolen from the very structure of the bones. When this happens bones begin to weaken, teeth deteriorate.

Sources of Calcium

It is of prime importance to consume calcium rich foods, as regular calcium intake helps to keep away the problem of osteoporosis. Calcium helps in strengthening bones and thus promotes your health fitness. In fact, after the age of 30, calcium should become an integral part of your daily meals, because it helps to prevent bone loss from taking place, thus acting as an anti aging agent. Read further to explore information about the calcium food sources…It is recommended that people in the age group of 19-50 should consume about 1,000 mg of calcium per day, while the calcium intake for people in 50s should be approximately about 1200 mg per day. As far as the best sources of calcium are concerned, most people rely upon milk and other dairy products for their calcium intake. But, there are also innumerable types of non-dairy sources of calcium that you can opt for, so as to ensure your daily calcium intake.
Here is presented a chart indicating good sources of calcium:


Yogurt, plain, low fat
8 oz 415

Skim milk 1 cup
306

Spinach, frozen,Boiled 1 cup
291

Yogurt, plain, whole milk
8 oz
275

Cheese food, pasteurized American
1 oz
162

Cottage cheese, 1% milk fat
1 cup
138

Baked beans, canned
1 cup
154

Oranges
1 cup
72

Trail mix (nuts, seeds, chocolate chips)
1 cup
159

Almonds1 oz (24 nuts)
70

Blackeye peas, boiled
1 cup
211

Green peas, boiled
1 cup
94

Calcium Supplement Benefits

If your daily meals do not fulfill your need for calcium, it is preferable to look forward towards consuming calcium dietary supplements, as a great source to ensure that you have had adequate amount of calcium. The market is flooded with distinctive kinds of calcium supplements, (like calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate and calcium citrate etc) differing in terms of calcium concentrations and also there might be differences in their absorption. Read further to explore calcium supplement benefits and then decide as to should we take calcium supplements or not?Calcium intake is of prime importance, owing to the fact that calcium offers multiple health benefits, to say for example; it works towards regulating your heartbeat. It aids in building and maintaining healthy bones. It helps a great deal in stimulating hormone secretions. It is necessary to consume calcium, because the body does not make them by its own. It is vital to consume calcium everyday, because each day, the body keeps losing calcium, thus, there arises a need to have a regular calcium intake, so as to make up for the loss.In the absence of adequate calcium in the body, the body utilizes the available calcium, to carry out other bodily functions, thus making the bones weak. When food is not able to suffice the purpose, it is then that calcium supplement comes to play a major role in filling the gap. Always look out for a branded calcium supplement and check for its purity. Gather complete knowledge about the side effects of calcium supplement, if any and then take a conscious decision. So, don't just completely rely on calcium dietary supplements, but there is no harm in letting them complement food, so that you can have your complete daily recommended calcium intake.