Liquid Vitamins and Minerals - Why You Should Take Liquid Vitamins and Minerals

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Are you like millions of other people who wonder if they are getting the proper amount of nutrients from their diet? Very few of us can claim to follow a balanced diet. Some of us have absolutely horrible diets that are loaded with sugar, fat and over processed foods. Maybe you have thought about taking vitamin and mineral supplements, but hate the idea of swallowing tons of pills. If so, liquid vitamins and minerals might be the answer.

Let's be honest. It's very hard to maintain a so called balanced diet. Many of us lead fast paced lives and find it difficult to prepare healthy nutritious meals every day. Some people hate fruits and vegetables. To make matters even worst is that we are constantly bombarded with commercials from the fast food giants enticing us with their high fat, high sodium meals.

We all know how important it is to get the proper amount of nutrients to stay healthy, that's why ten of millions of Americans routinely take vitamins and mineral supplements. Even still, millions of people do not take any kind of nutritional supplements because they hate swallowing pills. If you hate taking vitamin and mineral supplements in pill form you can still get the nutrients you need by taking liquid vitamins and minerals.

There are three great advantages for taking liquid vitamins and minerals. Those advantages are number one, there are no pills to swallow. Number two, liquid vitamins and minerals have a better absorption ratio than pills. And number three, even if you are consuming a fairly "good" diet, there is an ever increasing deficiency in our soil which means that our produce may not contain the optimum amount of nutrients. Let's examine each of these points.

There are no pills to swallow. More people than you might think avoid taking vitamins and minerals just because they have serious difficulty swallowing those huge horsey pills. For some people swallowing pills gives them a choking sensation. I myself have had a few frightening episodes where a few pills were lodged in my throat. For a few scary seconds I thought I was actually going to choke! With liquid supplements you get to drink your nutrition quickly, easily and comfortably.

Liquid supplements have a better absorption ratio than pills. Pills have a much slower absorption rate than liquid supplements and the body uses much more of the actual nutrients from liquids than from the pills. In fact, only 3-10% of the nutrients from pills actually make it throughout your body and into the bloodstream. Because most vitamins and mineral pills have no fat, proteins or carbohydrates, there is no signal to the liver to react and send bile juice to help turn the vitamins and minerals into enzymes.

Here is something that most people don't realize. The quality and the potency of our produce isn't the same as it used to be. Way back in 1936 a senate document alerted Americans to the fact that there was a massive vitamin and mineral deficiency in our nations farmlands.

The frightening fact is that our food (fruits,vegetables,grains) no longer contain enough of certain nutrients. This means that no matter how well you may think your diet is, you may not be getting enough of vital nutrients needed to keep you healthy. That is one of the major reason why you must supplement your diet with vitamins and minerals and one of the best ways of doing so is to consume liquid supplements.

When you take into account that pills are difficult for some people to swallow and that they take much longer to be absorbed into the body, as well as our produce may lack certain vital nutrients, supplementing your diet with liquid vitamins and minerals makes a lot of sense.

Michael Sibley is a former amateur boxer, fitness enthusiast and the owner of Ultra Nutrition Plus, a website featuring high quality natural whole food vitamins and preventative health products. Sign up today for a free news letter for important health tips as well as to receive valuable coupons for great insider discounts on Ultra Nutrition Plus products.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Sibley

Best vitamins for women

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A multi-vitamin is a necessity for every woman unless you are one of the 7% of women who actually get the appropriate amount of vitamins and minerals from the food you eat. For women and men, multi-vitamins are formulated with a specific mix of vitamins and minerals that work together to ensure proper absorption. Taking a multi-vitamin is more cost efficient than purchasing each vitamin separately and are even formulated now for children, adolescent girls, women, senior women, women with menopause, and women with osteoporosis and other health issues.

If targeting a certain issue, then, it is appropriate to take a specific vitamin. Below are certain vitamins that women need to target specific problems.

Folic Acid
Folic Acid is necessary for women who are considering having a baby or are pregnant. Folic Acid prevents anemia and birth defects, helps prevent preterm delivery, Alzheimer's, depression, cancer and high blood pressure. Although most multi-vitamins do have Folic Acid, their dose is lower than pregnant and breast feeding mother's should take. If pregnant, up your dose to 600 mcg, and if breast feeding be sure to get 500 mcg. For women who are taking a birth control pill, it is advisable to take Folic Acid because the pill actually prevents your body from absorbing B12 and Folic Acid.

Vitamin B12
If you are pregnant of breastfeeding, it is important to get extra B12. B12 prevents anemia, depression, heart disease, and maintains nerve and brain function. If you are taking a birth control pill, you may have to supplement your diet with extra B12 because the pill prevents your body from absorbing this essential vitamin.

Vitamin B6
If you are pregnant, B6 reduces morning sickness and risk of depression and high blood pressure.

Calcium
With osteoporosis on the rise, getting enough Calcium is essential. If 19-50 make sure you are consuming at least 1000mg to help prevent osteoporosis, high blood pressure and possibly colon cancer. After 50 years old, increase your dose to 1200 mg.

Copper
Copper aids in nerve transmission, red cell formation, and helps maintain nerve, brain, heart and immune function. It is suggested that it also helps prevent against birth defects.

Iron
Women need iron because of loss of blood during their period. It also helps prevent fatigue, boost immune systems, and maintain alertness and memory. Ages 19-50 should consume 18 mg daily, if you are pregnant 27 mg, and over 50 years of age 8 mg. A lot of women are sensitive to iron or cannot process iron in a supplement. Discuss with your doctor if you have any adverse reactions after taking a multi-vitamin with iron or supplement. You can increase your iron in food by eating red meat, fish, poultry, beans, peas, leafy greens and whole grains.

Zinc
Zinc speeds healing, boosts immunity and helps prevent pregnancy complications. Normally 8 mg is sufficient, but if pregnant increase dose to 11mg and 12 mg if you are breast feeding.

Black Cohash
It may help control hot flashes during menopause. If you are pregnant or have breast cancer do not take this herb.

Although a multi-vitamin contains most of the vitamins and minerals essential for men and women, consult your health care professional if you are pregnant or experiencing certain side effects. Your doctor should be able to help you find the appropriate dose for vitamins to help target your immune system, nerve system, heart health or mental health and memory.

How to Select the Best Vitamin and Mineral Supplement

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Why Most Health Foods Are A Waste Of Money?!
And The Real Reason You Can Take Vitamins, Minerals, And Herbs By The Handful And Still Suffer Poor Health.

It can be quite confusing to go shopping for vitamins and minerals these days. They are in every store. They come in every shape and milligram with some having thousands of milligrams. Here is a brief history of vitamin and mineral supplements to help you better understand what the best choice is for you.

The history of vitamins and minerals goes way back to the discovery in the 1930's. At this time certain deficiency diseases were recognized as being caused by a lack of vitamins and minerals. When this was realized the development of Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) came about. In a nutshell the RDA is the amount of essential nutrients from food that is needed to keep a healthy person healthy.

What does this little history have to do with vitamins and Minerals?

The first generation of vitamin/ mineral supplements were developed using synthetic versions of vitamins and minerals. These supplements were created in the laboratory to provide an inexpensive and standardized way to meet RDA requirements. In fact the vast majority of vitamin and mineral supplements are still made using synthetic vitamins and minerals. This includes some of the most popular brands (the ones advertised regularly on the TV).

The major disadvantages of supplements made like this are: Synthetic vitamins are not food so our body cannot uptake and utilize these at the optimal levels. Dirt and Rocks are not food. The solubility of minerals and their uptake and utilization in the body are critical factors.

A first generation vitamin may list 100% or more of the RDA for a given nutrient. But this does not mean your body will be able to absorb and utilize any or some of that nutrient. In other words synthetic vitamin and mineral salts are less expensive but they do not provide effective support for our body to bridge the nutritional gap in our diets.

The next generation of multi-vitamin and minerals is from whole food extracts. They are food and vegetable extracts and or single exotic plant or fruit products, e.g. Aloe Vera, golgi berries, etc. Whole food supplements have nutrients that the human body is able to utilize.

While whole food supplements are better than synthetic vitamins they also have some disadvantages. The reality of our current fruits and vegetables is that they are often deficient in important nutrients. Whole food supplements cannot be standardized for the amounts of vitamins, minerals or phytochemicals they may contain so they cannot be labeled for nutritional values. No single fruit, vegetable, or plant can meet all RDA requirements. Most plants are very high in vitamins but they are generally very low in mineral levels. Whole food supplements are a step in the right direction but since they cannot be standardized they can be significantly deficient in some of the critical nutrients we need for maintaining wellness.

The next major advancement in vitamin and mineral technology is here. The newest generation of supplements has many advantages including standardized natural vitamin complexes, standardized plant-derived minerals, standardized plant-derived phyto-chemicals, and all sources of these individual nutrients are specifically identified and labeled.

So how do you find the third generation of vitamin and mineral technology products? Really you have to be very careful when shopping and label reading. If the label says "whole food" or "plant sourced," make sure you look closer to see if chelated minerals or mineral salts are in the ingredients. Those would indicate that they are not a whole food source. Another common claim is colloidal and liquid minerals are better absorbed by the body. These minerals are still rocks and the body recognizes them as such. The key factor for absorption is a plant source. The best way to make sure you are getting the best nutrient is to ask questions of the seller/ merchant. Ask them until they tell you all the advantages I listed above of the third generation vitamin and mineral supplement.

If you have any further questions, get The Missing Ingredient for Good Health as reference.

The Top 7 Health Problems Linked to Trace Mineral Deficiency or Imbalance

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Here are the seven most serious health problems linked to trace mineral imbalance or deficiency (in alphabetical order):

CANCER: Research confirms cancers thrive in acidic conditions where little oxygen is present, but cannot grow in alkaline conditions which are rich in oxygen. For example, there is no such thing as "heart cancer" because blood flowing to the heart from the lungs is highly oxygenated. and slightly alkaline to maximise its oxygen yielding capacity.

The typical western diet, high in animal products, sweets, processed foods and anything fried, turns the pH of blood acidic, making it less able to deliver oxygen to vital organs thereby leaving them more prone to cancer formation. All minerals and trace minerals are alkaline by nature and work in unison to keep your bloods 'pH' at 7.45. MicroMins by NutriPLUS contains the full spectrum of trace minerals and is particularly rich in magnesium, chloride, potassium and sulphate

ALZHEIMERS/SENILITY: Recent studies show that emotional stress can increase the risk of developing senility. Restrained lab mice developed protein tangles in their brains similar to those seen in Alzheimer's victims. Unrestrained mice showed no such tangles. Calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, manganese, tin and zinc have demonstrated combined reductions in stress and can prevent protein-induced brain tangles.

ARTHRITIS: A "self-attacking-self" disease due to an immune system weakened by viral infection, emotional stress or both. Zinc and selenium are often deficient in those with arthritis. These minerals and magnesium remove the "confusion" by restoring "chemical balance" to the body. Both trace minerals are present in MicroMins.

DEPRESSION/MOOD SWINGS: Depression is a whole-body illness. Mood swings, for example, are usually attributed to low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). Iron, zinc, magnesium, lithium and potassium boost levels of brain chemicals called neurotransmitters that ease tension and make us more alert. Chromium, vanadium, copper and manganese raise blood sugar levels to stabilize our moods and make us feel better.

DIABETES: This is a metabolic disorder with abnormally high blood glucose levels. Common symptoms include frequent night time urination, excessive thirst, increased appetite, unintentional weight gain/loss, blurred vision, fatigue, physical weakness numbness and tingling in the hands and feet. Diabetes is an autoimmune disorder, resulting from a mistaken attack by the immune system on otherwise healthy insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Chromium, manganese, selenium, tin, vanadium and zinc all contribute towards rectifying these problems

HEART DISEASE (CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE): Hypertension is often a precursor to heart problems. Potassium reduces hypertension through enhanced kidney function. Magnesium removes obstructions in the heart arteries while boron reduces magnesium excretions. Calcium lowers cholesterol build-up in the heart. Chromium enhances "good" (HDL) cholesterol, as does copper, helping to prevent heart disease. Fluoride reduces calcified heart valves, which is very common with ageing. Iron enhances oxygen transfer to the heart. Selenium reduces atherosclerosis that is invariably linked to heart attacks. Vanadium reduces fat and cholesterol in blood serum. Other trace minerals such as manganese, zinc, molybdenum, tin, nickel and silicon play additional roles in preventing heart disease.

OSTEOPOROSIS: This is a progressive disease in which bones gradually become weaker, causing changes in posture and increasing the risk of fractures. Boron, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, sulphur, zinc, and manganese increase bone mass and reverse such bone deterioration.

These are the top seven health conditions, but they are really just the tip of the iceberg. Trace minerals are vital for joint movement, positive emotions, heart function, strong bones, good circulation, and brain health.

MicroMins (http://www.nutriplusonline.co.uk/listman/listings/l0083.shtml) is the only product we know of that is, made entirely by nature and equipped with the mineral-composition and richness necessary for addressing these top medical concerns.

Dr. John Heinerman is a recognised expert on alternative medicine with over 25 years experience. He is the author of 22 books including the best seller "Nature's Super 7 Medicines." He acts as the Director of Research for NutriPLUS, who provides highly effective nutritional treatments for many age related health problems. For more information go to http://www.nutriplusonline.co.uk

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._John_Heinerman

Calcium

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Calcium: What is it?

Calcium, the most abundant mineral in the human body, has several important functions. More than 99% of total body calcium is stored in the bones and teeth where it functions to support their structure. The remaining 1% is found throughout the body in blood, muscle, and the fluid between cells. Calcium is needed for muscle contraction, blood vessel contraction and expansion, the secretion of hormones and enzymes, and sending messages through the nervous system. A constant level of calcium is maintained in body fluid and tissues so that these vital body processes function efficiently.

Bone undergoes continuous remodeling, with constant resorption (breakdown of bone) and deposition of calcium into newly deposited bone (bone formation). The balance between bone resorption and deposition changes as people age. During childhood there is a higher amount of bone formation and less breakdown. In early and middle adulthood, these processes are relatively equal. In aging adults, particularly among postmenopausal women, bone breakdown exceeds its formation, resulting in bone loss, which increases the risk for osteoporosis (a disorder characterized by porous, weak bones).

What is the recommended intake for calcium?

Recommendations for calcium are provided in the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) developed by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences. Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) is the general term for a set of reference values used for planning and assessing nutrient intakes of healthy people. Three important types of reference values included in the DRIs are Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA), Adequate Intakes (AI), and Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (UL). The RDA recommends the average daily intake that is sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97-98%) healthy individuals in each age and gender group. An AI is set when there is insufficient scientific data available to establish a RDA. AIs meet or exceed the amount needed to maintain a nutritional state of adequacy in nearly all members of a specific age and gender group. The UL, on the other hand, is the maximum daily intake unlikely to result in adverse effects. It is listed in the section "Is there health risk of too much calcium?" of this fact sheet.

For calcium, the recommended intake is listed as an Adequate Intake (AI), which is a recommended average intake level based on observed or experimentally determined levels. Table 1 contains the current recommendations for calcium for infants, children and adults.