Whole Foods for Optimal Nutrition

Whole foods are our best source of nutrition and provide the most complete sources of vitamins and minerals. We are nourished by eating whole foods because they contain the necessary proteins, fats, carbohydrates, fiber, enzymes, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other micronutrients that our body needs for proper nourishment and optimal health. Unfortunately, most of us do not eat enough variety of whole, nutrient-dense foods for proper nutrition levels. Instead, our modern diets include too many processed foods that provide sub-standard levels of nutrients. These days, dietary supplementation is often needed to provide our nutritional requirements for optimum health and energy.

The Complexity of Whole Food Vitamins and Dietary Supplements

Dietary supplements and vitamins made from whole foods contain not only recognized vitamins and minerals, but a whole symphony of other micronutrients (phytonutrients or phytochemicals) that work in concert with vitamins and minerals to orchestrate a natural harmony in our bodies. More than 25,000 different micronutrients, also known as cofactors, have been discovered in whole fruits and vegetables alone. These micronutrients are still being studied, but what we do know is that they not only provide additional nutritional support, they also enhance the effectiveness and absorption of other nutrients contained in whole foods.

An interesting study was conducted by researchers at the USDA’s Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston. Two different age groups of men and women were fed a diet containing ten servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Then they measured the ‘antioxidant capacity’ of the participants’ blood samples by seeing how well the blood deactivated damaging oxidized free radicals in a test tube. After two weeks, the antioxidant capacity of the participants’ blood rose in both groups, though more consistently in the older people. Based on this and other studies, it appears that compounds other than vitamins C and E and carotenoids contribute a major portion of the increase in antioxidant capacity.

The Power of Fermentation and Probiotic Cultures

We understand that dietary supplements created from whole foods provide a more complex source of nutrition than isolated supplements created in a lab. So, what happens when we incorporate a probiotic fermentation process to whole food nutritional ingredients?

I am sure we have all heard of Captain Cook’s remedy for scurvy on his ships. Due to the lack of fresh produce on long voyages, he would require all his sailors to eat sauerkraut, which is fermented cabbage. Scurvy is caused by a vitamin C deficiency; by fermenting cabbage, the Vitamin C levels of the cabbage are increased.

The power of the fermentation and culturing process is due to the additional nutrients that are created by the activated bacteria. By culturing live, whole foods in probiotics (healthy, beneficial, naturally occurring bacteria), a synergy of health promoting compounds is created. Those compounds produce much greater results than the sum of the individual whole food nutritional ingredients. According to Dr. Richard Sarnat, M.D., co-author of “The Life Bridge: The Way to Longevity with Probiotic Nutrients,” “These (cultured) nutrients promote the health of the entire digestive system. It’s the process of fermentation that unlocks all these wonderful nutrients.”

In her book, “Nourishing Traditions,” author Sally Fallon, further explains the benefits of the lacto-fermentation process: “Like the fermentation of dairy products, preservation of vegetables and fruits by the process of lacto-fermentation has numerous advantages beyond those of simple preservation. The proliferation of lactobacilli (probiotics) in fermented vegetables enhances their digestibility and increases vitamin levels. These beneficial organisms produce numerous helpful enzymes as well as antibiotic and anticarcinogenic substances. Their main by-product, lactic acid, not only keeps vegetables and fruits in a state of perfect preservation but also promotes the growth of healthy flora throughout the intestine.”

Summary

By supplementing our diets with cultured, whole food vitamins and supplements, we are able to provide our bodies with the complexity of nutrients missing from our modern diets, delivered in a cultured, whole food form that our bodies recognize and utilize efficiently. Nutrients from isolated vitamins and supplements are not adequate for our dietary requirements because they lack the cofactors and micronutrients needed and are not recognized by our bodies as food.
As a Clinical Nutritionist, I recommend my clients and customers eat a whole food, natural diet and use cultured, whole food vitamins and dietary supplements for optimal health. I am impressed with nutrition companies such as Garden of Life, Mt. Capra, and New Chapter, because they follow these health promoting principles of using only whole food ingredients and a culturing probiotic process in their vitamin and supplement formulas.

vitamin supplements among millions of people across the globe is the whole mark being bombarded with the information on these supplements and the benefits provided by them.

It is good take natural vitamin supplements as these work towards providing our bodies with those extra doses of essential vitamins that we daily require in our lives. You can get these natural vitamin supplements from any pharmacy or drug store near you.

It is equally important to use these vitamin supplements wisely. There are several do’s and don’ts that you need to follow when it comes to taking natural vitamin supplements as there are many instances where these can prove hazardous to one’s health. You need to practice caution when taking natural vitamin supplement.

Here are some points you must follow

a) Your overall health

You must go for a general check up. Here, you must focus on identifying your physical strengths and weaknesses. This will help you know about certain specific vitamins you need to take according to your health.

b) Choose supplement with specific vitamins

It would be wise to choose supplements with specific vitamins. Multivitamins would ensure that you get good and healthy dosage of all vitamins and minerals that are essential for the body. These also help in maintaining a routine easy as you require to take only one vitamin in a day.

c) Budget

Be careful about your budget when chroming a natural vitamins supplement. This ensures that the supplement becomes your lifelong routine. You should purchase one that you can afford to take regularly.

d) Approval

Make sure that you purchase natural vitamin supplement that’s approved and licensed by the US Food and Drug Administration. Unlicensed drugs tend to provide hazardous side effects.

e) Legitimate Pharmacy

You should not purchase any natural vitamin supplement from an illegitimate vendor. Always make sure that the vendor has a legitimate license to sell drugs.

f) Expiry date

Check the expiry date of the natural vitamin supplement that you are purchasing.

g) Time management

You must make sure to take all your vitamin supplements on time. This will enhance the benefits of taking these supplements.

h) Exercise

Exercising regularly will enhance the benefits of taking natural vitamin supplements.

i) No mega doses

Avoid supplements that provide mega doses. You should choose a supplement that provides 100 percent of the daily value. Avoid anything that provides 500 percent of the daily value.

j) Storage

You must take special care when storing natural vitamins supplements. Make sure that you store these in a cool place. Avoid hot and humid climates. Don’t store your supplements in bathroom. Also don’t leave them on the counter or near the reach of children.

With more and more people wanting to take more dietary pills, the need to be aware of the essentials is ever-growing important. In fact, dietary supplements or complements are taking more and more shelf space in the stores and theyre also available all over the internet.

What are the kinds of dietary complements to look for?

There are various kinds of dietary complements, namely mineral supplements and herbal supplements. Lets look at mainly dietary complement to be aware of when is it necessary.

Before we take a closer explore at dietary supplements. Lets first examine at a couple of the fat soluble vitamins. These are vitamin A, D, E and K. Since they are fat soluble, they are held in reserve in the body until they are required.

The role of Vitamin A.

This vitamin has a tremendous job to do for our bodies. It helps our immune system fight infection, its critical for bone growth and it is considerable to the fitness of our vision and skin. We take in vitamin A when we consume milk, eggs and cereal fortified with vitamin A. It can also be present found in liver, cheese and some products.

What is vitamin A deficiency?

This type of deficiency is rarely seen in the United States but in developing countries replete with malnourished children, there is widespread blindness and infection as a result of a lack of Vitamin A.

This vitamin toxicity can happen when there is a buildup of vitamin A, which seldom occurs through dietary intake but more commonly through the use of supplements as excess vitamin A is stored in the liver. This can bring about birth defects and central nervous system disorders. It can also cause liver damage and surprisingly, osteoporosis.

Is this the answer?

A vitamin and dietary supplement may not always hold the answer we are looking for. Its distinctive to understand what duty the different vitamins act as in our overall fitness and to understand how greatly of each of the vitamins our bodies need.

If we truly need a vitamin dietary supplement, it becomes something of value to our health but it can also persist detrimental to our vitality to take too great deal of a good thing.

Some medical conditions make it difficult for our bodies to absorb certain vitamins so a vitamin dietary supplement certainly has an distinctive part to play when it is truly needed.

Vitamin K is another effective vitamin for our bodies as it aids in the clotting of the blood. A incompetence in this vitamin can persist very dangerous as it can lead to bleeding and even hemorrhaging.

Yet this is another vitamin that we can get comfortable of in our daily diet without resorting to taking a vitamin dietary supplement.

Another thing to consider: Our bodies can stand 500 times the RDA of vitamin K as long as it comes from food yet that is not the case for synthetic vitamin K. We can reach toxic levels by taking too much of this vitamin dietary supplement.

We can consult with our physicians to be sure we are getting enough of the vitamins that we need and to see if we might need a vitamin dietary supplement.

However, without a proper understanding of using and getting quality dietary vitamin supplements to treat many chronic diseases, we might now able to enjoy much disease-free lifestyle.

Therefore, by applying this effective tips as being highlighted here, together with an thorough understanding of vitamin supplements is important so that you enjoy your life once again.

It is essential that a person is aware of what constitutes good food health vitamin intake. The federal drug administration produces a recommended daily allowance for the majority of vitamins which it regards as a good food health vitamin intake. These figures vary according to a person’s age, sex and some other factors so that the good food health vitamin intake for a young woman is going to be different to that of a man in his seventies.

The food health vitamin intake amounts of certain foods are included in the nutritional labelling. This labelling is important for a person to consider and helps ensure that they are receiving the correct food health vitamin intake from the foods that they eat. The nutritional information is often represented as a percentage of the recommended daily allowance of each vitamin and mineral and can help assess the value of the foods in the quest for good food health vitamin intake.

There are also a number of items that a person may want to restrict in their diet as part of their good food health vitamin intake. Again, the nutritional labelling of certain foods can help a person to see how high a product is in these undesirable contents. Salt and fat, for example, may be items that a person wants to consider limiting as part of their good food health vitamin intake even though they are not strictly vitamins. The majority of people actually refer to nutrients when they use the word vitamin and food manufacturers are aware that a person is looking at minerals and other items when they are considering their good food health vitamin intake. Fiber is another element that many people are more aware of as forming an essential part of a balanced diet and is necessary for good food health vitamin intake.

If a person is on a restricted diet for any reason then they need to pay even more attention to their good food health vitamin intake. Obviously, some foods contain different nutrients to others and this is applicable to vitamins as well and it may be more difficult for a person to achieve their good food health vitamin intake if they are unable to eat certain foods. Vitamin supplements can form an essential part of a good food health vitamin intake for people who are unable to obtain their vitamins from their normal diet. It is also worth remembering that the good food health vitamin intake for a person varies throughout their life depending on their general health.

There are two main types of vitamins, water soluble vitamins and fat soluble vitamins, and the way that the body does or does not store vitamin content taken from food depends on which type it is. The body cannot store water soluble vitamins and this means that a person needs to replenish their water soluble vitamin intake on a daily basis. The eight B vitamins and vitamin C are water soluble vitamins and the body cannot store vitamin content that is either of these. 

It is not simply that the body cannot store vitamins that are water soluble but also the water soluble vitamins are easily destroyed by improper storage, handling, or cooking of foods that contain these vitamins. In particular, it is important not to overcook vegetables by boiling as the water soluble vitamins are in effect washed out of them but this lack of being able to store vitamins that are water soluble can be overcome by light cooking or steaming and by using the water that vegetable have been cooked in to form sauces and gravies. As the body cannot store vitamin C or the other water soluble vitamins it is essential to eat a balanced diet with at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables to ensure that enough vitamins are available for the body to use when necessary and a person does not suffer from a vitamin deficiency due to the body’s inability to store vitamin content. 

On the other hand, the body can store vitamin content that is fat soluble. The body will store vitamin content in the fat cells so that it can be used when required and a person does not need to consume as many of these fat soluble vitamins on as frequent a basis as they do with water soluble vitamins. The fat cells store vitamin A, D, E, and K as these are all fat soluble vitamins. 

It is also important to store vitamin supplements correctly to ensure that the beneficial qualities of these are not diminished. The best way to store vitamin supplements is in a container with a screw top lid and to keep the container in a dry place. When you store vitamin supplements it is also essential to check that they have not been kept longer than the expiration date. The vitamin content of supplements cannot be guaranteed if you store vitamin tablets past their use by date.

However, despite the scientifically proven importance of vitamin supplements, some key concerns have been raised. Specifically, the nutrition community has raised questions with respect to the potential toxicity of supplements that contain “fat-soluble” vitamins. Fat-soluble vitamins are not easily and swiftly eliminated by the body. Instead, they are stored in organs and tissues. 

Over time, there can be a build-up of fat-soluble vitamins which can lead to adverse health effects such as nausea, diarrhea, unhealthy weight loss, bone density loss, and digestive tract disorders.

Vitamin deficiencies and malnutrition can lead to all types of different diseases. A lack of Vitamin C can lead to scurvy. You will notice many different symptoms if you have a vitamin deficiencies. Symptoms can include: tiredness, irritability, and muscle cramps. I would recommend visiting a doctor if you notice any of these symptoms on an ongoing basis.

The role of glutathione in the development of the foetus and placenta is crucial. Glutathione (GSH) can control cell differentiation, proliferation, and cell death – essential functions in the developing embryo. In the placenta, glutathione detoxifies pollutants before they reach the developing child. Most substances or factors which cause birth defects (teratogens) are known to exert their embryotoxic effects because they cause oxidative stress.

Vitamins are in one of two classes: fat soluble or water soluble. Vitamin C and the B vitamins (such as niacin and riboflavin) are water soluble. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat soluble. Which type of solubility each vitamin has will indicate which foods contain them. Basically, non-fat food has no fat soluble vitamins. However, highly colored vegetables like carrots do contain beta-carotene – a proto- vitamin which can be converted to active vitamin A.

Nutrient content claims for dietary supplement vitamin describe the level of some type of vitamin or vitamins in that supplement. For example, according to many heath organizations, a dietary supplement vitamin with at least 12 milligrams per serving of vitamin C could have the following stated on its label” “Excellent source of vitamin C.

Being on low-calorie diets or diets that restrict certain types of food can significantly impact getting enough of all kinds of vitamins. So for many of us, vitamin supplements will be helpful in getting and staying healthy. But like anything else we do for our health, it’s as important to know the risks as the benefits.

Prenatal vitamins are packed full of nutrients that will help support and nourish your growing child and your body during pregnancy. Most women assume that they need a prescription to acquire prenatal vitamins. There are actually however many high quality prenatal vitamin supplements you can purchase over the counter. If you are not certain what your best choice is, be sure to consult with your healthcare provider who can point you in the right direction.

While the addition of a multivitamin would benefit most people, different additional supplements should be chosen based on the specific life stage, gender or lifestyle of the individual. For example, though calcium is generally important for all men and women, it is particularly critical for children building bone mass and elderly people seeking to preserve it.

There are a lot of factors that cause chronic illness in this country. Bad air, water, and food speeds up the aging process and pollutes our body. One way to equip your self with natural defenses against these destructive forces is to get daily vitamin supplements. Many people ask: “What vitamins do I take?” I’ll show you why daily vitamins are important and what’s the best multi-vitamin.

Our bodies are wonderfully made. We have an immune system that is so complex and so effective that it’s a miracle we stand a chance against common viruses, bacteria, and diseases. Modern medicine is just scratching the surface about the body’s immune system. One thing they all agree upon is the fact that your body needs a complex variety of vitamins and minerals to function properly. If we are deficient in any one of these micronutrients our immune system becomes compromised and we become susceptible to infection and diseases. Some people ask: “Don’t we get all the nutrients we need from the food we eat”?

We do get these nutrients from our food but unfortunately it’s rarely enough. There are immune system boosting foods we can eat that are rich in key micronutrients and especially antioxidants, but it’s still unlikely that you will consume optimal amounts even with a much improved diet.

The bottom line is that the fruits and vegetables available today are depleted of vitamins and minerals due to the over-use of nitrogen fertilizer and the under-use of organic fertilizers. The food looks good and lasts a long time on the shelf, but it is not the same quality of generations past. It’s a good idea to add daily vitamin supplements to your diet.

After a long search for the best multi-vitamin I have found it. It’s pharmaceutical grade and contains all the key ingredients at optimal dosages above and beyond the R.D.A (Recommended Daily Allowance). The best part is that it also contains 4-5 servings of fruits and vegetables, which makes it unlike any other vitamin. It’s a one of a kind and it’s only available to health care professionals.