http://articles.nutritionalsupplementsdirect.com/rss.xml A blog about nutritionalsupplementsdirect.com daily 365 1901-01-01T00:00+00:00 http://articles.nutritionalsupplementsdirect.com/?a=35618 <p>by Gregg Hall</p><p>Casimir Funk was a Polish biochemist that discovered vitamins in 1912, the first one was specifically vitamin A. Funk came up with the word vitamine, and it was later changed to vitamin. <br /><br />Vitamin A is found in yellow fruits and oranges and vegetables such as spinach and fats. When in vegetables it is water soluble. It comes as beta carotene which can be eliminated from your body through natural processes. Anything that can be eliminated through natural processes is the best way to get it into the body.<br /><br />Vitamin A helps with eyesight and healthy skin. Obviously this is why people say that carrots are good for your eyesight. Ancient Egyptian doctors would even prescribe liver because they believed that it contained enough vitamin A to prevent or possibly even help night blindness. Vitamin A is also an antioxidant which is known to prevent cancer and to help with anti-aging. It is also good for the immune system.<br /><br />Fat helps with the proper absorption of vitamin A. So a low fat diet will not allow you to get the right amounts of vitamin A. You also need to have the right amount of protein which combines with vitamin A to make it stronger and helps it move through your body.<br /><br />Typically you should consume around 5,000 international units (IU) of vitamin A a day. This does depend a little on your health and your age. You may need to consume a little more or a little less. Beta carotene is the safest form of vitamin A and because of that it can be taken in much larger doses no matter what your age.<br /><br />Without consuming enough vitamin A in your diet you will become deficient. This normally causes skin problems, increased infections, and even night blindness. If the deficiency is prolonged it can also put you at a high risk for cancer as well. It will also cause you to miss out on any of the effects of anti aging that the vitamin might have. Although you can begin taking it with a deficiency the effects will not be as good as if you never had the deficiency in the first place.<br /><br />There is such a thing as having too much vitamin A as well. This can cause pain in your joints, abdomen, and your bones. Since having too much or not enough can cause serious side effects it is important that you make sure that you are getting the right amount in your diet. If you do not have it in your normal diet then you should take it in a vitamin supplement, making sure that it has the right amounts with no side effects.</p><h3 class="popup">About the Author </h3><p>Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as Herbal Nutritional Supplements at <a href="http://www.nutritionalsupplementsdirect.com/">http://www.nutritionalsupplementsdirect.com</a></p> 2006-09-02T15:13-04:00 http://articles.nutritionalsupplementsdirect.com/?a=35617 <p>by Gregg Hall</p><p>As you all ready know vitamins and minerals are an essential part of a well balanced diet in order to stay healthy and to make sure that your body functions properly. The actual symptoms of a vitamin deficiency will not appear until the levels are at very high level.<br /><br />A vitamin A, B1, or B2 deficiency will show itself as an emotional or mental stress, chapped lips, and other annoying or painful habits. There will also be a loss of appetite. There are some other accompanying annoying and painful habits.<br /><br />Alcoholism, poor diet, stress, lack of vitamins, or even medications that interfere with the body's consumption of vitamins are the top reasons for vitamin and mineral deficiency in most people. If you are experiencing constant fatigue you may want to consider a lack of vitamins and minerals to be a possible cause. Your doctor will likely prescribe vitamin supplements as a treatment. The one thing that you do not want to do is over do and overdose on vitamins because this can cause more harm than good.<br /><br />You may watch what you eat and be sure that you are eating all of your vegetables and fruits but it still is a good idea to take vitamin supplements. By taking supplements you are sure to get every vitamin and mineral that you need just in case your diet is missing something. Without even knowing it you will be taking care of something that you could be missing out on. The missing vitamin or mineral could influence your health and well being.<br /><br />When purchasing vitamins the essential ingredients are B6, B12, D, E, and folic acid these are not only essential vitamins but help in the fight against cancer and maintain a healthy heart. They also help to keep your immune system strong which keeps you healthy and keep you feeling refreshed. <br /><br />Vitamins can be found online or at local nutrition stores, in many grocery stores, or discount stores, and at a variety of prices. You do not need to spend a lot of money on vitamins. Also keep in mind that vitamins do not replace a well balanced diet. They are meant to supplement a well balanced diet. Vitamins and minerals give your body additional nutrients not all the nutrients that you need.<br /><br />Anytime that you cannot eat right however, vitamin supplements are even more necessary than before. Supplements are one of the best investments you can make. Yes, the cost does add up over time, but what is a better investment than you? Surprisingly vitamin deficiency is quite common. Something that can be so easily prevented should not be, do your part to be healthy.</p><h3 class="popup">About the Author </h3><p>Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as Nutritional Supplements Direct at <a href="http://www.nutritionalsupplementsdirect.com/">http://www.nutritionalsupplementsdirect.com</a></p> 2006-09-02T15:10-04:00 http://articles.nutritionalsupplementsdirect.com/?a=35241 <p>by Gregg Hall</p><p>The &quot;National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey&quot; reports that over 64% of American adults (over 120 million people ) are overweight and over 30% are obese.<br /><br />The Journal of the &quot;American Medical Association&quot; states that over 324,000 people a year die from illnesses directly caused or worsened by obesity.<br /><br />According to the &quot;Journal of Health Affairs&quot;, being obese increases health care costs by 36% and increases medication costs 77%.<br /><br />The Centers for Disease Control states that obesity is linked to: some forms of cancer, type II diabetes, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure, sleep apnea, gout, osteoarthritis, gallstones, strokes, infertility, complications of pregnancy, and depression.<br /><br />According to the U.S. Surgeon General, obesity will soon take over as the #1 cause of preventable deaths behind tobacco use.<br /><br />So, how do you get the weight off and keep it off?<br />Almost all nutritional experts agree that the fad diets do not work. Yes, you may lose a large amount of weight, but you will not keep it off. The problem, especially in the United States is that we are a &quot;I want it Now&quot; society. People want to lose weight that it took them years to put on in a matter of weeks.<br /><br />When you see the advertisements in the supermarket magazines such as &quot;I lost 20 lbs in one week you must realize that this is physically impossible without cutting off a limb!<br /><br />Figure on an average weight loss of three pounds, anymore than that is exceptional.<br /><br />You must be on a balanced nutritional program that you will be able to maintain after losing the weight and the biggest secret which is hard for people to realize is that you need to eat less portions, but more often. The optimum is to eat every 3 hours.<br /><br />While it is possible to lose a good bit of weight with just proper nutrition you will realize better results by adding exercise to your program. It only makes sense, the more calories you burn the more fat you will lose.</p><h3 class="popup">About the Author </h3><p>Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author to many online and offline businesses and has over 25 years experience in the fitness and nutrition industry. For nutritional supplements got to <a href="http://www.nutritionalsupplementsdirect.com/">http://www.nutritionalsupplementsdirect.com</a></p> 2006-07-29T20:23-04:00