Vitamins and minerals are a necessary ingredient in the recipe for overall radiant health. Many health and nutrition professionals believe that a well-balanced, whole foods diet can provide all of your body's requirements. Eating a variety of whole foods can provide the essential elements that you need, as they have these elements naturally occurring in their make-up. A diet heavy in processed foods is where people begin to run into issues of deficiency.
What are the signs of deficiency? Here are some examples, along with the nutrient that is lacking in the diet:
Night blindness *Vitamin A
Bone diseases, rickets *Vitamin D, Calcium
Excessive bleeding,
liver damage *Vitamin K
Anxiety, nausea *Vitamin B1 (Thiamin)
Sores around nose,
mouth; visual problems *Riboflavin
Weakness, irritability *Vitamin B5
Skin diseases *Niacin
Depression, confusion *Vitamin B6
Weakness, fatigue,
headache, anemia *Iron
Muscle weakness,
cardia arrhythmias *Potassium
Not exactly a fun list, is it? All of these nutrients are found naturally in whole foods. Generally, foods that are heavily processed between the time they start from their natural state and arrive on your table are missing these key ingredients, having been processed completely out! Is a diet dependent on processed foods worth any of those symptoms above? Vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds, and whole grains are the nutritional package that will provide you the most variety and the most nutrients.
When cooked properly, which means a minimum of cooking and boiling, over 90% of the nutrients found in vegetables can be retained. Cover vegetables while cooking to help retain those nutrients, leave them unpeeled when practical, and wash in cold water. Scrub root vegetables lightly to protect the vitamins which lie close to the skin.
Fruits are loaded with fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and they can satisfy that craving for sweets. They are easily digested and most act as cleansing and balancing agents.
Beans, peas and lentils are legumes. They have a high protein content, helping to regulate sugar, water, and other metabolic functions. Providing fats, carbohydrates, potassium, calcium, iron, and several B vitamins, they are nutritional winners.
Nuts and seeds provide Vitamin E and essential fatty acids, which is an element that our bodies cannot provide. There are three essential fatty acids: linoleic, alpha-linoleic, and arachidonic acid. These serve to provide healthy skin and hair, promote healthy blood, nerves and arteries, and assist in the transport and breakdown of cholesterol.
Whole grains are filling, providing energy and endurance. They help to calm nerves, provide deep sleep, aid in elimination, quick reflexes, memory, and clear thinking. They are best complemented with other unrefined food plants.
Eating a variety of these nutritionial powerhouses will go a long way in promoting the healthiest levels of vitamins and minerals that your body requires to function. It can seem daunting to figure out how to get all of these foods represented in your diet! Add to your repertoire over a period of time, trying new recipes. When going to the store, be mindful of what you grab for - choose as close to natural state as possible to provide your body with quality!
Should Low carb diets be High in Fat and not High in Protein?
It's long been recognised that low carb diets are a great way to help reduce weight. I for one have lost
over 18 pounds and have always been intrigued by how the low carb diet works so effectively. But more
importantly what is the best replacement for the lack of carbs. What this article sets out to explain is
which food type, protein or fats, should we use in greater quantities to replace the reduced carbs for energy.
So, where do we start. Our body needs carbs for energy and if we reduce the amount of carbs we need
to replace it with energy, provided by either protein or fats.
Energy from protein
While the body can use protein as an energy source in an emergency, it is not healthy to use
this method in the long term. All carbs are made up of three elements: carbon, hydrogen and.
oxygen. All fats are made of the same three elements. Proteins, however, also contain nitrogen
and other elements. When proteins are used to provide energy, these must be got rid of in some way.
This is not only wasteful, it can also put a strain on the body, and in particular the liver and kidneys.
Increased levels of nitrogen leads, in a short space of time, to hyperammonaemia, which is a build up of
ammonia in the bloodstream. This is toxic to the brain. Many cultures survive on a purely animal
product diet, but only if it is high in fat. A lean meat diet, on the other hand cannot
be tolerated; it leads to nausea in as little as three days, symptoms of starvation and ketosis in a
week to ten days, severe debilitation in twelve days and possibly death in just a few weeks. A high-fat
diet, however, is completely healthy for a lifetime.
Energy from Fats
When most people think of eating a low-carb diet, they tend to think of it as being a protein-based
one. This is false. All traditional carnivorous diets, whether eaten by animals or humans, are more
fat than protein with a ratio of about eighty percent of calories from fat and twenty percent of
calories from protein. Similarly, the main fuel produced by a modern low-carb diet should also be
fatty acids derived from dietary fat and body fat.
Fats also produce 'ketone bodies'. Ketones were first discovered in the urine of diabetic patients in
the mid-19th century.Reduction of carbohydrate intake stimulates the synthesis of ketones from
body fat.This is one reason why reducing carbs is important.
Ketone formation and a shift to using more fatty acids also reduces the body's overall need for glucose.
Even during high-energy demand from exercise, a low-carb diet has what are called 'glucoprotective'
effects. What this all means is that ketosis arising from a low-carb diet is capable of accommodating
a wide range of metabolic demands to sustain body functions and health while not using, and thus
sparing, protein from lean muscle tissue. Ketones are also the preferred energy source for highly
active tissues such as heart and muscle.
All this means that more glucose is available to the brain and other essential glucose-dependent
tissues.
Time for a balanced meal
Studies into low carb diets suggest that we all have a level of dietary carbohydrate intake where the
changeover from glucose-burning to fat and ketone burning takes place. This can vary between approx
65 and 180 grams of carbs/day. If your carb intake is below this threshold, then your body fat will be
broken down to generate ketones to supply your brain and other cells that would normally use glucose.
In the early trials for the treatment of obesity, carb levels were very much reduced to supply only
about ten percent of calories. This works out at around fifty or sixty grams of carb for a 2,000
calorie daily intake.
For diabetics, the level may need to be lower to counteract insulin resistance. Typical levels of carb
intake for a type-2 diabetic are around fifty grams per day; the level should be lower still at about
thirty grams a day for a type-1 diabetic.
A typical balanced meal based on the above information consists of one part carb to two parts protein
to between three and four parts fat, by weight. I see no reason to disagree with this. What it means
in practice is that on a 2,000 calorie per day diet, we should get:
Ten to fifteen percent of calories from carbs
Twenty to thirty percent of calories from protein and
Sixty to seventy percent of calories from fats.
Or another way to look at it is to consume (daily) 50 to 75grams of carb and the rest from meat,
fish, eggs, cheese, and their natural fats.
This article is based on research by Professor John Yudkin and provides additional food for thought,
pardon the pun, for consideration when implementing a low carb diet. As with all low carb diets,
where you are looking to increase fats or protein, you should always take medical advice.
About The Author:
How to kill a Nail Fungus
Can you really Kill your Nail Fungus ?
The answer could be a big fat YES, but you have to know the good treatments.
Article by Alain Charretier
For myself, I sought the best known remedies to kill a Nail Fungus, and I give you the truth below...
Get the facts about nail fungus remedies :
Nail Fungus is an infection which concern 35 millions of people in USA only, and is caused by several microorganisms that essentially eat the keratin incorporated in your nails.
An infected nail is mainly detected by a progressive discoloration of the root nail and later a yellow or dark coloring. Then, the nails can take a very unpleasant aspect, and it is difficult to live with.
The problem is that the fungi live inside/under the nail, which is a hard tissue, so it is very difficult to kill the fungus without the proper treatment, and this nasty infection often reappear after a successful cure.
Nail Fungus isn't painful at first but it can evolve during years and doesn't disappear alone.
A nail fungus infected me during years, without even the knowledge.
First thing first, you have to identify your problem.
Alain Charretier run the site www.nails-fungus.com where he share is experiment about the nail fungus infection, and review the main known remedies to kill a nail fungus
So if you have ugly nails and don't know what to do about, consult your doctor, first.
When identified, a nail fungus is eventually difficult to treat, but it really could be done.
It depends to the severity of your infection.
For a light infection, the treatment itself can be rather short, but anyway, you have to wait to the growing of new nails after you get rid of a nail fungus completely.
For a mild or severe one, the process can takes more time, three to six months, sometimes one year.
It depends to the treatment, your age and your health conditions.
Reality is that Nail Fungus could be a difficult disease to treat, and none treatment is actually 100% effective, all time.
The best ones can only cure 60 to 80% of the disease, with eventually some serious side effects.
The soft treatments (natural or home remedies) have even a less success rate than the pharmaceutical, according to the severity.
The good news is that the success depends of each individual, and if one treatment doesn't works for you, an other one can give you a success, all time.
And it doesn't cost you an arm and a leg....
On my site www.nails-fungus.com , I published a testimonial where you will see that nothing is desperate...
So, don't despair and act consistently as soon as possible.
Three classes of treatments exist to kill a nail fungus :
Pharmaceutical remedies : Lamisil (tablet and cream), Sporanox, Penlac
Natural remedies : Leucatin, Tea tree oil and several herbal remedies
Home remedies : vicks vaporub, apple cider vinegar, hydrogen peroxide and several others
Depending on the severity of your infection, you have to consult your doctor who will make the good decisions.
The pharmaceutical remedies are the more effective, but have their sides effects.
Getting rid of a nail fungus is a question of good choice and persistence
Alain Charretier run the site www.nails-fungus.com where he share is experiment about the nail fungus infection, and review the main known remedies to kill a nail fungus