Vital Wellness

The way we think about food and our mental attitude towards what’s on our plates is an extremely important factor when considering a healthy and wholesome diet. Food should always be enjoyed at a steady pace; try to sit down whenever possible and take your time over a meal instead of grabbing something unhealthy on the go. This will only result in a poor diet.

Despite many of us operating extremely hectic lifestyles and also busy home lives, you should still make time for a healthy meal and if you are going to snack then invest in some healthy alternatives. These alternatives can include the likes of dried fruit, unsalted nuts and homemade smoothies. There are also a range of natural and gluten free snack bars available at stores such as Holland & Barrett , which are a great and more fulfilling alternative to the likes of greasy fries, fast food, crisps, sweets, chocolate bars and fizzy drinks.

Eating with friends and family is also a great way to enjoy a substantial meal and will also make you enjoy the food served at a slower pace due to being in a more relaxed environment. Many eat whilst at their desks or alternatively in front of the TV, this however often leads to over eating, even if we don’t realise it, as it generally takes 20 minutes for our brains to register when we are full.

Chewing your food is also a must and every bite should be savoured instead of gulped down in a mindless fashion, which is often what people tend to do on the go, which often results in indigestion. Food is meant to be enjoyed and with so many amazing and healthy dishes available, each flavour and texture should be made the most of.

Many will mistake thirst for hunger, which is why it is important to keep hydrated at all times. Ask yourself if you are really hunger or if you are just eating for eating sake and always have a glass of water prior to a meal.

If you’re looking for herbal supplements to help aid weightloss, then visit www.hollandandbarrett.com where you can browse a range of products such as hoodia diet pills and acai berries.

Aside from a thiamin deficiency, excessive drinking can also cause a defi­ciency of vitamin B6, a nutrient needed for formation of red blood cells as well as reactions involved in normal cell functions.

Pyridoxine, or vitamin B6, is more rapidly eliminated from the body during heavy drinking, over 50 percent of those who drink excessively seem to have defi­ciencies. Eating a well-balanced diet that includes 1.3 milligrams of vitamin B6 can correct the problem, but only if no further alcohol is ever consumed. Good food sources of pyridoxine include meat, fish, poultry, or fortified cereals. Read the rest of this entry »

Daily Value: 18 milligrams

Good Food Sources: Beef, Cream of Wheat cereal, baked potatoes, soybeans, pumpkin seeds, clams.

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There’s no doubt that many of us can use more iron than we’re getting. Roughly 20 percent of Americans are deficient in this mineral. The group most likely to be coming up short: women in their reproductive years.

Iron, which is absorbed in the intestines, comes in two forms: heme and non heme. Found in meats, the heme form is well absorbed. Men get about two-thirds of their iron needs met by heme iron; the amount varies for women. Nonheme iron is found in vegetables and isn’t as well absorbed. Read the rest of this entry »

Daily Value: 400 micrograms

Good Food Sources: Fortified cereals, pinto beans, navy beans, asparagus, spinach, broccoli, okra, brussels sprouts.

Folic Acid Food Source

Description :

Folic acid is a nutritional powerhouse that makes things happen within the body. It works with approximately 20 different enzymes to build DNA, the material that contains the genetic code for your body, and is essen­tial for normal nerve function.

It also seems to prevent heart disease and stroke by reducing the body’s levels of homocysteine, an artery-attacking chemical that accumulates in the blood of people who eat meats. Read the rest of this entry »

Daily Value: 1,000 milligrams

Good Food Sources: Skim milk, nonfat yogurt, cheeses, collard greens, mustard greens, kale, broccoli, canned salmon with bones, sardines with bones, corn tortillas processed with lime, calcium-fortified orange juice

Calcium Sources

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By now, just about everyone knows that getting enough calcium helps prevent diseases such as osteoporosis. Less well known is just how cal­cium goes about doing this.

When you eat cheese or drink milk, the calcium in these foods is absorbed through your small intestine and into your blood. The amount of calcium in your blood is regulated by a substance called parathyroid hormone. When calcium intake is low, parathyroid hormone signals for bone to be broken down, releasing calcium into the bloodstream. “Diets with adequate calcium intake produce less parathyroid hormone, so that we conserve more calcium and more bone,” says professor of nutrition. Read the rest of this entry »

Daily Value: 300 micrograms

Good Food Sources: Brewer’s yeast, barley, oat bran, soybeans, filberts, walnuts, peanuts, bananas, cauliflower, milk, egg yolks, salmon.

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Your nails are a disaster. They’ve been clipped, filed, and buffed, then I coated with polish. And they still look thin, brittle, and pathetic.

They will never appear in Vogue. But they do happen to be just about the first thing folks notice when you shake hands or pet their dogs. So what are you going to do? Read the rest of this entry »

Daily Value: None established
Good Food Sources: Sweet potatoes, carrots, cantaloupe, spinach and other dark green leafy vegetables

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The evidence is overwhelming! People who eat three or more servings a day of beta-carotene-rich fruits and vegetables have a lower risk of heart disease and many types of cancer. However, the scientific community isn’t as enthusiastic about the effects of beta-carotene supplements. Read the rest of this entry »

Because alcohol can derail the transportation system that escorts minerals such as zinc and magnesium out of the liver and into your bloodstream, researchers agree that anyone with a drinking problem also runs the risk of zinc and magnesium deficiencies.

Both zinc and magnesium are excreted in relatively large amounts when people are drinking excessively. They can be replaced by eating a well-balanced diet, he adds. Shellfish, pot roast, and eggs are all good sources of zinc, while nuts, whole grains, vegetables, and tofu are pretty decent sources of magnesium.

If you have heart or kidney problems, it’s important that you talk to your doctor before taking magnesium supplements. Read the rest of this entry »