This is the last post of my blog. During my independent study I have learned everything that I planned and even more. I explored misleadings related to vitamins, which are very far from the truth, good example is microwaving food. People say that it kills all the vitamins(even me), however time that food spent in there is too short to influence nutrients. On the other hand who would think that boiling greens, also boils-out the nutrients. I gained general information about supplements, like: Do they even work? I learned about RDA(daily intake) but also why we should take vitamins with food or what if we have to many of them. During this time I came to know which supplements are important, vitamin D for example, in our life and which are just not worth taking -Multivitamin.
I have already started implementing ideas that I explored to my daily routine and I am looking forward to see the results.
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For the most part vitamin supplements are safe to take. Follow the recommended dosages on the label of the bottle. Fat-soluble vitamins are more likely to be toxic to your health if taken in excess, because they are stored in the body, where as water-soluble are excreted. Fat soluble vitamins are:
A, D, E, K. Water soluble are: C, B1, B2, B5, B6, B7, B9 and B12. Foods you eat aren't a problem, it's pretty hard to overdo it from food alone. However, during high consumption of supplements your body is going to store it and then transform into toxic symptoms. You can also suffer from hypervitaminosis while eating fortified foods. Fortified foods are those foods that contain artificially high levels of vitamins such as the Iodized salt. If you take supplements it will only increase the vitamins to a level of toxicity. Here are symptoms that are common and may occur during hypervitaminosis :
Recommended Dietary AllowancesThese are suggested levels of essential nutrients considered adequate to meet nutritional needs of healthy individuals. Which is really important to follow, while taking supplements. RDA fact sheet is supposed to help with proper intake of nutrients. Just remember, before taking any supplements you should conciser these questions:
Do you eat foods high in vitamins and minerals? Are you dieting? Do you follow the Food Guide Pyramid? Do you smoke and/or drink regularly? Are you pregnant? Are you over 50 years old? Are you taking prescription drugs? Another important fact is that, it is advised to take your vitamins with a snack or meal to avoid stomach irritation. The presence of carbohydrates and proteins stimulate digestive enzymes that will allow for better absorption of nutrients for the supplements. (Iron should be taken on an empty stomach) Processed foodAbout 70% food that is contained in "normal diet" have no nutritional value. All the natural fiber, have been removed in the refining stages. This diet is, thus, poor in fiber, digestion is slow and the waste materials stay in the body longer. This sets up the perfect condition for toxic materials to form. Also, processed foods can contain huge amounts of chemicals and toxins which were added in the processing. We are eating lots of chemicals like coloring agents, artificial flavors and preservatives that can make the food appear more attractive and taste fresher. DryingThe nutritive value of food is affected by the dehydration process. Vitamins A and C are destroyed by heat and air. Using a sulfite treatment prevents the loss of some vitamins but causes the destruction of thiamin. ... In general, dried foods are not a major part of the American diet, so nutrient loss is not a concern. Salting, Pickling and SmokingThese are also the traditional ways used all over the world to preserve food. Meat is covered in salt then hung to dry. The salt draws a lot of the moisture out of the meat and also protects against microbes. Most of the vitamins retain in the product. Sugar is used to preserve fruits. Thus, we have jam and sweet pickles. The sugar stops the microbes left after the preserve is boiled. The trick with sugar is that it decreases vitamin C absorption. Vinegar is used to pickle vegetables. The vinegar hinder microbe growth because it is so acidic and stops exposure to oxygen, which the microbes need to survive. During this process a lot of nutrients are lost over the time. Smoking involves hanging meat over wood fires and allowing the hot smoke to cure the meat. This also gives it a distinctive flavor. Most of the “smoked” products on the market today, however, have actually just had the “smokey” flavors added to them. (check you labels) Most of the vitamins are kept. MicrowavingIt simply doesn't kill vitamins, due to a short cooking time. FreezingDuring freezing microbes multiply in warm environments. Freezing renders most of the microbes inactive. Refrigeration slows the growth of some microbes. Before food is frozen, it is plunged into boiling water to kill off as many microbes as possible so the food can keep longer. Some of the vitamins are destroyed, however nutrition values is comparable to the fresh fruit or vegetable. CanningCanning is a common way to preserve food. First it is heated through to destroy any microbes. Then it is sealed in air tight cans usually lined with tin. Although some foods lose their nutrients, heating activates some (especially tinned tomatoes). However, vitamin C and B can be damaged. Never leave unused foods in cans as they can become contaminated with metals as food/metal oxides combine. This is not a problem when you put the remaining contents into an air tight, non-metal container. PasteurizationPasteurization is the process of treating juice, milk and other foods to kill harmful germs, usually by heating. Although the levels of certain nutrients in juice may decrease with pasteurization, the final product retains most of the original nutritional value. The Problems with Modern Processed FoodsToday, vegetables taste bland because of the lack of minerals in the soil. Then a lot of chemicals are added to make it taste good. Chemicals are also added to preserve it. Additionally, the food that has been processed contains a lack of enzymes. Every metabolic function in our body and every chemical reaction that keeps us healthy are helped by enzymes. An enzyme is a catalyst, which makes something work more efficiently. They come from raw foods – vegetables, fruits, and even meat. When there aren’t enough enzymes available on a daily basis, your body begins to cut back from various bodily functions. For instance, hair may become dry, nails may crack and skin may become dry – giving the appearance of an older person. Then more critical, the liver will not be able to handle the excretion of waste products. Processed foods and most all packaged foods do not contain live enzymes. When any food is heated over 112 degrees Fahrenheit, the live enzyme activity is destroyed. The bottom line is that when we put foods that are void of adequate nutrition and void of any enzymes into our body, we eventually run down. The destruction of live enzymes does not permit our food to be thoroughly digested. Then our immune system becomes weakened, and we develop degenerative diseases. I highly recommend reading SOURCE 1/4, it clearly shows how cooking affects the nutrients content in our food.
Most Vitamin Pills Are Redundant, But Here Are The Ones You Should Take-according to Erin Brodwin8/29/2019 First let's talk about antioxidants. Substances that can prevent or slow damage to cells caused by free radicals. Free radicals are compounds within our bodies that may lead to chronic disease and/or are involved in cell tissue damage. As you can see antioxidants retain a really important role in our body, however it is not necessary to intake them through supplements. The excess amount of them can actually lead to cause more harm that good. Vitamins A, C, and E are antioxidants found in plentiful form in many fruits - especially berries - and veggies, and they've been touted for their alleged ability to protect against cancer. Vitamin C, probably won't help you with getting over your cold, eat citrus fruits instead. Over the years vitamin C hype, which which started with a suggestion from chemist Linus Pauling made in the 1970's and has peaked with Airborne and Emergen-C - is just that: hype. Study after study has shown that Vitamin C does little to nothing to prevent the common cold. Plus, mega doses of 2,000 milligrams or more can raise your risk of painful kidney stones. Probiotics: Skip them - the science isn't advanced enough yet for them to have a significant benefit, and you can eat yogurt instead. The idea behind them is simple: Support the trillions of bacteria blossoming in our gut which we know play a crucial role in regulating our health. So far, the effects of probiotics have been all over the map. Sometimes they help, sometimes they don't. So rather than shelling out for a pill that promises to be a cure-all, snack on a parfait. Zinc: Take it - it's one of the only ingredients linked to shortening a cold. Unlike Vitamin C, which studies have found likely does nothing to prevent or treat the common cold, zinc may actually be worth it. The mineral seems to interfere with the replication of rhinoviruses, the bugs that cause the common cold. Vitamin E: Skip it - an excess has been linked to an increased risk of certain cancers, and you can eat spinach instead.The antioxidant Vitamin E was popularized for its alleged ability to protect against cancer. But a large 2011 study of close to 36,000 men found that the risk of prostate cancer was dramatically increased. Make yourself a fresh spinach salad and skip the pill. Dark greens like spinach are rich with this stuff. Vitamin B3, skip it, eat salmon and tuna instead. For years, Vitamin B3 was promoted to treat everything from Alzheimer's to heart disease. But recent studies have called for an end to the over-prescription of the nutrient. People are more likely to develop infections, liver problems, and internal bleeding. Just eat legume, fish, cereals and seeds. Folic acid: Take it if you're pregnant, or if you might want to get pregnant. Folic acid is a B vitamin which our bodies use to make new cells. The National Institutes of Health recommends that women who are currently pregnant or who want to get pregnant take 400 micro-grams of folic acid daily because their bodies demand more of this key nutrient when they are carrying a growing fetus. When topic of vitamins comes to mind, you might think: Do they actually work? Is it just another marketing trick? They are useless! But here is what I manage to find. First of all, it is important to say that not all vitamins or supplements actually work but some do, and are essential. Years of research has failed to find any substantial evidence that vitamins and supplements do any significant good, in fact they can cause the opposite. So there are the vitamins and supplements you should take - and the ones you should avoid. In this post I am going to talk about the most popular supplement, which is multivitamin and vitamin D. For decades, it was assumed that multivitamins were crucial your health. Vitamin C to "boost your immune system", Vitamin A to protect your vision, Vitamin B to keep you energized. However, not only you can get these vitamins from most of the foods but also consuming excess amount of them can cause harm. In conclusion, just skip it. The second vitamin would be vitamin D, which keeps to keep our bones strong by increasing calcium absorption. Getting sunlight helps our bodies produce it. Several recent study reviews have found that people who took Vitamin D supplements daily lived longer, on average, than those who didn't. Taking it, is especially important during winter, when getting sunlight is harder. My first intensive of the year is health, time when everyone is learning about physical, mental, emotional and social health. During this time all the students are able to explore one of the chosen topic, throughout their independent work. I chose something that I conciser interesting and important in our life: vitamins. As we all know topic of vitamins was going throughout our whole life, however I could never fully understand it. Therefore during my independent study I am exploring topic of vitamins and supplements in our life. My goal is to show how important is having proper amount vitamins but also what is the mislead information that connects with processed food and vitamins.
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