Nutrition For Life

When is a vitamin not really a vitamin? When it’s vitamin D! The “sunshine” vitamin, aptly named because sunlight is a source of it, is actually a hormone. Vitamin D isn’t found in many foods, and a growing number of experts and vitamin-D researchers think that Americans are not getting enough vitamin D, especially if you slather on sunscreen (which blocks your body’s ability to make vitamin D from the sun) or work indoors (and don’t get outside often).

Why Vitamin D Matters
Vitamin D is best known for its role in bone health; it helps your intestines more efficiently absorb the bone-building minerals calcium and phosphorous that you get from food. Vitamin D then helps to deposit these minerals in your skeleton and teeth, making them stronger and healthier. Therefore, vitamin D helps prevent the fractures associated with osteoporosis, the bone deformation of rickets, and the muscle weakness and bone aches and pains of osteomalacia (the softening of bones).

But a deficiency of vitamin D goes beyond bones—it can cause numerous health problems. Because it’s a hormone, and your body is full of receptors for this hormone, it plays a role in the prevention of many ailments. A lack of vitamin D may lead to:

* Cancer. Emerging research suggests that vitamin D has an anti-cancer benefit. It may stop the growth and progression of cancer cells and be beneficial during cancer treatment, too. Vitamin D is most strongly associated with colon and prostrate cancers, but it may also protect against breast, lung, ovarian, stomach, bladder, esophageal, and kidney cancers.
* Hormonal problems. Vitamin D influences the functions of insulin, rennin, serotonin and estrogen—hormones involved with health conditions such as diabetes, blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, depression and premenstrual syndrome.
* Obesity. Some research shows that a vitamin D deficiency can interfere with the “fullness” hormone leptin, which signals the brain that you are full and should stop eating.
* Inflammation. Vitamin D helps control the inflammation involved with periodontal disease, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.
* Weakened immune system. Vitamin D plays a role in a strengthening your immune system, especially in autoimmune disorders (when the body attacks itself) like multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. Read more…

There’s no doubt that calcium is essential. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the body maintains a constant level of calcium in the body fluid to support the many body functions for which calcium is necessary, including muscle contraction, blood vessel contraction and expansion, the secretion of hormones and enzymes, and sending messages through the nervous system. That means it’s needed to keep your heart beating and your muscles functioning, among other things. But the calcium in body fluids and muscles accounts for only about 1% of the total calcium in your body. The rest of it is stored in the bones and teeth, where it provides structural support and acts as a sort of “savings account” from which calcium is repeatedly withdrawn and deposited.

Although calcium intake is important throughout the life, the most important time for building up this savings account balance is during childhood, when there is a higher amount of bone formation and less breakdown. During adulthood, these processes are more equal, and then during later years, the breakdown takes over as the predominate process, which leads to weakening of the bones.

So what’s a kid (or anyone) who doesn’t drink milk to do? Get calcium from any of the many other places it can be found. You can find calcium in many plant-based foods, from almonds to tofu. Here is a list of some calcium-containing foods that are dairy-free, with the amount of calcium you’ll find in a single serving. Read more…

Energy. We want it, we need it, but we don’t always have it. When we’re energized, the impossible seems doable and  your hectic life feels like smooth sailing. So what essential part of your diet helps increase your energy as its main benefit? Iron, of course, which is why extreme ironing is for everyone.

Iron is an essential mineral many people know little about. It is a part of the blood cells in the body. The main function of iron is to help carry oxygen from the lungs to the muscles and other organs. About 30% of the body’s supply of iron is in storage, ready to be replaced if any is lost. When iron is low, this oxygen consumption slows down.

Iron deficiency is more common than many think. It is estimated that only 65-70% of all Americans meet their daily recommended intake. When depleted, oxygen circulates more slowly. If the body is low in iron, fatigue, irritability and headaches may occur. If the deficiency becomes significant, this can lead to anemia. If left untreated, anemia can be serious, with potentially life-threatening complications.

There are several select groups of people that are more at risk for developing iron deficiencies. First, women are more likely to develop this problem, partly because of the loss of red blood cells during menstruation. Also, pregnant women need to be sure to consume enough iron. Read more…

There’s no doubt that calcium is essential. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the body maintains a constant level of calcium in the body fluid to support the many body functions for which calcium is necessary, including muscle contraction, blood vessel contraction and expansion, the secretion of hormones and enzymes, and sending messages through the nervous system. That means it’s needed to keep your heart beating and your muscles functioning, among other things. But the calcium in body fluids and muscles accounts for only about 1% of the total calcium in your body. The rest of it is stored in the bones and teeth, where it provides structural support and acts as a sort of “savings account” from which calcium is repeatedly withdrawn and deposited.

Although calcium intake is important throughout the life, the most important time for building up this savings account balance is during childhood, when there is a higher amount of bone formation and less breakdown. During adulthood, these processes are more equal, and then during later years, the breakdown takes over as the predominate process, which leads to weakening of the bones.

So what’s a kid (or anyone) who doesn’t drink milk to do? Get calcium from any of the many other places it can be found. You can find calcium in many plant-based foods, from almonds to tofu. Here is a list of some calcium-containing foods that are dairy-free, with the amount of calcium you’ll find in a single serving.

Food     Serving Size     Calcium
Collard greens     1 cup, boiled     357 mg
Fortified soymilk     1 cup     368 mg
Black-eyed peas     1 cup, boiled     211 mg
Firm tofu (made with calcium sulfate)     1/2 cup     204 mg
Calcium-fortified orange juice     6 oz     200 mg
Blackstrap molasses     1 Tbsp     172 mg
Baked beans     1 cup, canned     154 mg
Kale     1 cup, cooked     94 mg
Chinese cabbage     1 cup, raw   74 mg
Oranges     1 cup     72 mg
Almonds     1 oz     70 mg Read more…

It can be easy to lose track of all the vitamins out there. It’s even easier to forget how exactly they help our bodies. Let’s see, vitamin A heals wounds and vitamin C improves eyesight, wait, what was it again?  There are so many, it feels like there should be a vitamin Z. Here are the basics for vitamins, what they do and how to get them in healthy amounts.

Vitamin A
Function: As well as being necessary to new cell growth, vitamin A helps fight infections, and is essential for healthy skin, good blood, strong bones and teeth. It also plays essential roles in the kidneys, bladder, lungs and membranes, as well as helping maintain good eyesight. Vitamin A also helps eyes adjust to changes in levels of light.

Sources: Fish liver oils, liver, dairy products, carrots, cantaloupe, peaches, squash, tomatoes, and all green and yellow fruits and vegetables can fuel the body with vitamin A. Note: Many plants contain beta carotene, which the body converts into vitamin A. Dark green leafy vegetables and yellow and orange vegetables and fruits are excellent sources of beta carotene.

Recommended daily intake: It is recommended that women consume 800 mcg and men consume 1000 mcg of vitamin A daily. Like other fat-soluble vitamins, vitamin A can be harmful when too much is consumed. Too much can lead to toxicity and other health problems, including an increased risk of fractures in postmenopausal women, nausea, blurred vision, and irritation. In more severe forms of overconsumption, it can lead to hair loss, growth retardation, and an enlarged spleen and liver. Too little vitamin A (though rare in the United States) can lead to night blindness, eye inflammation, and diarrhea. Read more…

What comes to mind when you hear the word minerals? Do you think of rocks, stones, and metal? How can these be of benefit to your body? Minerals are another group of nutrients (along with vitamins) needed by the body. They have two general body functions: to regulate body processes, and to give the body structure.

Their regulating functions include a wide variety of systems, such as:

heartbeat

blood clotting

maintenance of the internal pressure of body fluids

nerve responses

the transport of oxygen from the lungs to the tissues.

Their building functions affect the skeleton and all soft tissues.

Even though they make up only a small percentage of your body-about 4 percent of your body weight - minerals are essential to life. Minerals are very stable. They cannot be destroyed by light, water, heat or food handling processes. In fact, the little bit of ash that remains when a food is completely burned is the mineral content. Read more…

You consume sodium every single day, and that’s a good thing! Our bodies need sodium to help maintain water and mineral balances and blood volume. But too much of a good thing (sodium in this case) can have negative effects on your health, such as an increased risk for high blood pressure (which contributes to heart disease and stroke). While most of us get enough sodium each day to meet our bodies’ needs (about 1,500 milligrams), the average person consumes way too much! Experts recommend that adults consume less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium daily—that’s about 1 teaspoon of salt.

Sodium is a mineral that occurs naturally in foods that you eat every day, including meats, nuts, grains, and dairy. Salt and sodium are not the same things—but salt is made from sodium (and chloride). What you might not realize, however, is that “hidden” sodium found in processed foods (in the form of salt) makes up the largest proportion of the sodium that adults consume (in addition to any salt that you add yourself). Read more…