Nutrition & Maintenance
With all the information there is in life nutrition is by far one of the most important things we should pay attention to, yet it is the one thing most of us know very little about. Under this heading we discuss easy ways to improve and maintain our health and gain more out of dietary and nutritional intake. We share information that we personally appreciate which makes it easier to apply in our daily lives.
Nutrition plays an important part in your wellbeing, when the body gets the proper nutrients required to sustain healthy function, you are rewarded with better health. When the body lacks essential nutrients it is unable to function properly resulting in poor immune function, illness, or disease. Your body will try its best to function on what you feed it, your body will function best when you put good sources of nutrients into it. However good nutrition is vital to life, your body needs healthy nutrients to survive. When we are battling illness or disease we need to give our body the best nutrients to fight the battle for our life.
We discuss regularly what is needed to keep our body healthy and what is best to help it recover from illness and disease. What we post on our newsletter will be regularly added to this page.
Nutrition plays an important part in your wellbeing, when the body gets the proper nutrients required to sustain healthy function, you are rewarded with better health. When the body lacks essential nutrients it is unable to function properly resulting in poor immune function, illness, or disease. Your body will try its best to function on what you feed it, your body will function best when you put good sources of nutrients into it. However good nutrition is vital to life, your body needs healthy nutrients to survive. When we are battling illness or disease we need to give our body the best nutrients to fight the battle for our life.
We discuss regularly what is needed to keep our body healthy and what is best to help it recover from illness and disease. What we post on our newsletter will be regularly added to this page.
Coconut oil the new healthy
by contributor and journalist Tara Fuller
There has been a lot of buzz surrounding the use of coconut oil in recent months; some even touting it as the "healthiest oil on
earth." A simple Google search will return page after page on the health benefits of using coconut oil as a topical application for improved hair and skin to consuming as much as 3 or 4 tablespoons per day to enhance the immune system, promote heart health and weight loss. For those who have been around the block once or twice, this information is likely to be completely
contradictory to what you have ever heard or thought you knew about coconut oil. So what's changed?
The use of coconut oil prior to World War II for baking and frying were prevalent among western countries until the 1950s when saturated fats were linked to raise bad cholesterol and increase risk of heart disease; and like most things, politics were hard at
play. As many of us learned from watching Food Inc., the United States is the largest exporter of soybeans and therefore, by uniting with the American Heart Association to promote the substitution of saturated fats for polyunsaturates, made it quite profitable for soybean and corn industries to use marketing strategies that encouraged the public to abolish all saturated fats including tropical oils.
But as time passes, researchers are learning not all saturated fats are created equal. Unlike other oils high in saturated fats, studies show that natural, non-hydrogenated coconut oil (Virgin) does not raise serum cholesterol or contribute to heart disease as previously thought. Instead, studies show evidence that coconut oil actually raises HDL, the good cholesterol, thereby improving LDL/HDL cholesterol ratio, resulting in decreased risk of heart disease.
Besides breast milk, coconut products, especially coconut fats contain the highest source of lauric acid, a medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) which are more easily metabolized by the body than are long-chain triglycerides (LCT) most common of saturated fats and oils.
"Approximately 50% of the fatty acids in coconut fat are lauric acid. Lauric acid is a medium chain fatty acid, which has the additional beneficial function of being formed into monolaurin in the human or animal body. Monolaurin is the antiviral, antibacterial, and antiprotozoal monoglyceride used by the human or animal to destroy lipid coated viruses such as HIV, herpes, cytomegalovirus, influenza, various pathogenic bacteria including listeria monocytogenes and heliobacter pylori, and protozoa such as giardia lamblia. Some studies have also shown some antimicrobial effects of the free lauric acid." -Mary Enig, Ph.D
Because MCTs are more easily metabolized in the body instead of hanging-out in the bloodstream like LCTs, some believe the body is able to convert the fat into energy before being stored in the body as fat, resulting in weight loss. However, to date, there are no studies to back these claims.
In a nutshell, adding virgin coconut oil to your cupboard may be a wise investment. It has one of the longest shelf life of any cooking oil, lasting up to two years before
the risk of rancidity; and has a smoke point of 350 degrees Fahrenheit. There are many ways to incorporate coconut oil into your diet such as into your pastry recipes or in popcorn; but to help you out, here's a great Web site that provides free coconut recipes!
Health benefits are only attributed to unrefined virgin coconut oil because low-quality oil is made from copra instead of fresh coconuts, which loses its health-promoting qualities in the refinement process.
Health benefits attributed to using Virgin Coconut Oil as part of a healthy diet;
Improved balance of good/bad cholesterol
Helps to prevent: heart disease, senility, cancer and other age-related diseases
Increases metabolism
Aids in weight loss
Boosts immune system
Aids digestion
Improves skin hydration and increases skin surface lipid levels.
Fights acne and other skin conditions
Reduces signs of aging such as wrinkles and liver spots
Moisturizes hair
There has been a lot of buzz surrounding the use of coconut oil in recent months; some even touting it as the "healthiest oil on
earth." A simple Google search will return page after page on the health benefits of using coconut oil as a topical application for improved hair and skin to consuming as much as 3 or 4 tablespoons per day to enhance the immune system, promote heart health and weight loss. For those who have been around the block once or twice, this information is likely to be completely
contradictory to what you have ever heard or thought you knew about coconut oil. So what's changed?
The use of coconut oil prior to World War II for baking and frying were prevalent among western countries until the 1950s when saturated fats were linked to raise bad cholesterol and increase risk of heart disease; and like most things, politics were hard at
play. As many of us learned from watching Food Inc., the United States is the largest exporter of soybeans and therefore, by uniting with the American Heart Association to promote the substitution of saturated fats for polyunsaturates, made it quite profitable for soybean and corn industries to use marketing strategies that encouraged the public to abolish all saturated fats including tropical oils.
But as time passes, researchers are learning not all saturated fats are created equal. Unlike other oils high in saturated fats, studies show that natural, non-hydrogenated coconut oil (Virgin) does not raise serum cholesterol or contribute to heart disease as previously thought. Instead, studies show evidence that coconut oil actually raises HDL, the good cholesterol, thereby improving LDL/HDL cholesterol ratio, resulting in decreased risk of heart disease.
Besides breast milk, coconut products, especially coconut fats contain the highest source of lauric acid, a medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) which are more easily metabolized by the body than are long-chain triglycerides (LCT) most common of saturated fats and oils.
"Approximately 50% of the fatty acids in coconut fat are lauric acid. Lauric acid is a medium chain fatty acid, which has the additional beneficial function of being formed into monolaurin in the human or animal body. Monolaurin is the antiviral, antibacterial, and antiprotozoal monoglyceride used by the human or animal to destroy lipid coated viruses such as HIV, herpes, cytomegalovirus, influenza, various pathogenic bacteria including listeria monocytogenes and heliobacter pylori, and protozoa such as giardia lamblia. Some studies have also shown some antimicrobial effects of the free lauric acid." -Mary Enig, Ph.D
Because MCTs are more easily metabolized in the body instead of hanging-out in the bloodstream like LCTs, some believe the body is able to convert the fat into energy before being stored in the body as fat, resulting in weight loss. However, to date, there are no studies to back these claims.
In a nutshell, adding virgin coconut oil to your cupboard may be a wise investment. It has one of the longest shelf life of any cooking oil, lasting up to two years before
the risk of rancidity; and has a smoke point of 350 degrees Fahrenheit. There are many ways to incorporate coconut oil into your diet such as into your pastry recipes or in popcorn; but to help you out, here's a great Web site that provides free coconut recipes!
Health benefits are only attributed to unrefined virgin coconut oil because low-quality oil is made from copra instead of fresh coconuts, which loses its health-promoting qualities in the refinement process.
Health benefits attributed to using Virgin Coconut Oil as part of a healthy diet;
Improved balance of good/bad cholesterol
Helps to prevent: heart disease, senility, cancer and other age-related diseases
Increases metabolism
Aids in weight loss
Boosts immune system
Aids digestion
Improves skin hydration and increases skin surface lipid levels.
Fights acne and other skin conditions
Reduces signs of aging such as wrinkles and liver spots
Moisturizes hair
Calcium in plant based diets
Many people avoid milk because it contains saturated fat, cholesterol, allergenic proteins, lactose sugar and frequent traces of contamination, or because they just don’t feel good after eating dairy products. Milk is also linked to type 1 (juvenile onset) diabetes and other serious health conditions. We regularly lose calcium form our bloodstream through urine, sweat, and feces. How rapidly calcium is lost depends, in part, on the kind and amount of protein you eat, as well as other diet and lifestyle choices. Happily, there are many other good sources of calcium. Keeping your bones strong depends more on preventing the loss of calcium from your body than on boosting your calcium intake.
Reduce calcim loss
A number of factors affect calcium loss from the body:
• Diets that are high in protein cause more calcium to be lost through the urine. Protein from animal products is much more likely to cause calcium loss than protein from plant foods. This may be one reason that vegetarians tend to have stronger bones than meat-eaters.
• Diets high in sodium increase calcium losses in the urine.
• Caffeine increases the rate at which calcium is lost through the urine.
• Smoking increases the lost of calcium from the body
A number of factors increase bone building in the body:
• Exercise is one of the most important factors in maintaining bone health.
• Exposure to sunlight allows the body to make the bone-building hormone vitamin D
• Eating a plentiful amount of fruits and vegetables helps to keep calcium in the bone
• Consuming calcium form plant pasted sources, especially green vegetables and beans, provides one the building blocks for bone building.
Sources of calcium
Exercise and a diet moderate in protein will help to protect your bones. People who eat pant based diets and are active probably have lower calcium needs. However, it is still important to eat calcium rich foods every day. The following is a list of just ome Calcium rich foods we can eat daily. Amount of calcium is in mg:
Vegetables:
Broccoli, 1 cup, boiled = 62, Brussels sprouts, 1 cup boiled = 56, Butternut squash, 1 cup, baked = 84, Carrots, 2 medium, raw = 40, Cauliflower, 1 cup, boiled, 20, Collards, 1 cup, boiled = 266, Kale, 1 cup boiled = 94, Sweet potato, 1 cup baked = 76. Other vegetables very high in calcium are: Turnip greens, Parsley, Watercress
Dandelion, Mustard greens, Swiss Chard, Spinach, Okra, Endive, Chicory, Rutabaga, Leek, Snap beans, and Parsnip.
Legumes:
Black turtle beans, 1 cup boiled = 102, Chickpeas, 1 cup boiled = 80, Great Northern beans, 1 cup boiled = 120, Kidney beans, 1 cup boiled = 62, Lentils, 1 cup boiled = 38, Navy beans, 1 cup boiled = 126, Pinto beans, 1 cup boiled = 79, Soybeans, 1 cup boiled = 175, Soymilk, 1 cup, calcium fortified 1 cup boiled = 368, Tofu, raw, firm ½ cup = 253, Vegetarian baked beans, 1 cup = 86, White beans, 1 cup boiled = 161. Other Legumes high in calcium are all dried or fresh beans.
Grains:
Corn Tortilla = 19, Rice milk, 1 cup, enriched = 300, Whole grain bread, 1 slice = 26, Brazil nuts, 1 cup, raw = 33, Almonds, 1 cup, raw = 26, Wild rice, 1 cup, cooked = 36. Other Grains high in calcium are dark colored rice’s, Hemp seed, and Oatmeal.
Fruits:
Dried figs, 10 figs = 140, Navel Orange, 1 medium = 60, Orangejuice, 1 cup calcium fortified = 300, Raisins, 2/3 cup = 48, Dates, about 10, dried or fresh = 260. Other fruits high in calcium are: Lemon, Currents (fresh), Blackberry, Elderberry, Raspberry, Lime, Strawberry, Tangerine and Guava.
Believe it or not but many things that come from the sea contain quite a bit of calcium, such as:
Sardines (canned), Mackerel, Prawns, Clams, Oysters (raw), Crab meat, Cod, Lobster, Swordfish, Flounder/Sole, Halibut, Haddock, Salmon (smoked) and Tuna (canned).
Why not reach for a glass of milk?
Milk is one of the most common causes of food allergy. Often the symptoms are subtle an may not be attributed to milk for some time. It is said by many doctors that
there are upwards 98% of people are allergic to dairy in various degrees, some much more severe than others.
Other things about milk that you may want to know:
• Milk proteins can cause colic, and digestive upset that bothers one in five infants. Mil-drinking mothers can also pass cow’s milk proteins to their breast-feeding infants.
• Three out of four people from around the work including and estimated 25 % of individuals in the United States, are unable to digest the milk sugar lactose, which then causes diarrhea and gas. The lactose sugar, when it is digested, releases galactose, a simple sugar that is linked to ovarian cancer and cataracts.
• Many female issues including Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome is contributed to dairy. But when patient stop ingesting dairy, and have lost weight the syndrome is reversed.
• In a study of 142 children with diabetes, 100% had high levels of an antibody to a cow’s milk protein. It is believed that these antibodies may destroy the insulin producing cells of the pancreas.
• Milk is very low in iron. To get the US. RDA of 11 milligrams of iron, an infant would have to drink more than 22 quarts of milk each day. Milk also caused blood loss fro the intestinal tract depleting the body’s iron.
• The lactose sugars produced in animal milk is formulated for the digestive enzymes of a of that baby animal. The size of the sugars alone far exceed the size of a humans digestive enzyme therefore humans are just incapable of digesting animal milk properly if at all. So aside from the catch phrase “milk – it does a body good”… remember to follow that with “if you are a baby cow”.
So to make calcuim rich diet "healthy" for your body, reach for a salad, toss on a couple nuts and have an orange because that is what does a body good.
Reduce calcim loss
A number of factors affect calcium loss from the body:
• Diets that are high in protein cause more calcium to be lost through the urine. Protein from animal products is much more likely to cause calcium loss than protein from plant foods. This may be one reason that vegetarians tend to have stronger bones than meat-eaters.
• Diets high in sodium increase calcium losses in the urine.
• Caffeine increases the rate at which calcium is lost through the urine.
• Smoking increases the lost of calcium from the body
A number of factors increase bone building in the body:
• Exercise is one of the most important factors in maintaining bone health.
• Exposure to sunlight allows the body to make the bone-building hormone vitamin D
• Eating a plentiful amount of fruits and vegetables helps to keep calcium in the bone
• Consuming calcium form plant pasted sources, especially green vegetables and beans, provides one the building blocks for bone building.
Sources of calcium
Exercise and a diet moderate in protein will help to protect your bones. People who eat pant based diets and are active probably have lower calcium needs. However, it is still important to eat calcium rich foods every day. The following is a list of just ome Calcium rich foods we can eat daily. Amount of calcium is in mg:
Vegetables:
Broccoli, 1 cup, boiled = 62, Brussels sprouts, 1 cup boiled = 56, Butternut squash, 1 cup, baked = 84, Carrots, 2 medium, raw = 40, Cauliflower, 1 cup, boiled, 20, Collards, 1 cup, boiled = 266, Kale, 1 cup boiled = 94, Sweet potato, 1 cup baked = 76. Other vegetables very high in calcium are: Turnip greens, Parsley, Watercress
Dandelion, Mustard greens, Swiss Chard, Spinach, Okra, Endive, Chicory, Rutabaga, Leek, Snap beans, and Parsnip.
Legumes:
Black turtle beans, 1 cup boiled = 102, Chickpeas, 1 cup boiled = 80, Great Northern beans, 1 cup boiled = 120, Kidney beans, 1 cup boiled = 62, Lentils, 1 cup boiled = 38, Navy beans, 1 cup boiled = 126, Pinto beans, 1 cup boiled = 79, Soybeans, 1 cup boiled = 175, Soymilk, 1 cup, calcium fortified 1 cup boiled = 368, Tofu, raw, firm ½ cup = 253, Vegetarian baked beans, 1 cup = 86, White beans, 1 cup boiled = 161. Other Legumes high in calcium are all dried or fresh beans.
Grains:
Corn Tortilla = 19, Rice milk, 1 cup, enriched = 300, Whole grain bread, 1 slice = 26, Brazil nuts, 1 cup, raw = 33, Almonds, 1 cup, raw = 26, Wild rice, 1 cup, cooked = 36. Other Grains high in calcium are dark colored rice’s, Hemp seed, and Oatmeal.
Fruits:
Dried figs, 10 figs = 140, Navel Orange, 1 medium = 60, Orangejuice, 1 cup calcium fortified = 300, Raisins, 2/3 cup = 48, Dates, about 10, dried or fresh = 260. Other fruits high in calcium are: Lemon, Currents (fresh), Blackberry, Elderberry, Raspberry, Lime, Strawberry, Tangerine and Guava.
Believe it or not but many things that come from the sea contain quite a bit of calcium, such as:
Sardines (canned), Mackerel, Prawns, Clams, Oysters (raw), Crab meat, Cod, Lobster, Swordfish, Flounder/Sole, Halibut, Haddock, Salmon (smoked) and Tuna (canned).
Why not reach for a glass of milk?
Milk is one of the most common causes of food allergy. Often the symptoms are subtle an may not be attributed to milk for some time. It is said by many doctors that
there are upwards 98% of people are allergic to dairy in various degrees, some much more severe than others.
Other things about milk that you may want to know:
• Milk proteins can cause colic, and digestive upset that bothers one in five infants. Mil-drinking mothers can also pass cow’s milk proteins to their breast-feeding infants.
• Three out of four people from around the work including and estimated 25 % of individuals in the United States, are unable to digest the milk sugar lactose, which then causes diarrhea and gas. The lactose sugar, when it is digested, releases galactose, a simple sugar that is linked to ovarian cancer and cataracts.
• Many female issues including Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome is contributed to dairy. But when patient stop ingesting dairy, and have lost weight the syndrome is reversed.
• In a study of 142 children with diabetes, 100% had high levels of an antibody to a cow’s milk protein. It is believed that these antibodies may destroy the insulin producing cells of the pancreas.
• Milk is very low in iron. To get the US. RDA of 11 milligrams of iron, an infant would have to drink more than 22 quarts of milk each day. Milk also caused blood loss fro the intestinal tract depleting the body’s iron.
• The lactose sugars produced in animal milk is formulated for the digestive enzymes of a of that baby animal. The size of the sugars alone far exceed the size of a humans digestive enzyme therefore humans are just incapable of digesting animal milk properly if at all. So aside from the catch phrase “milk – it does a body good”… remember to follow that with “if you are a baby cow”.
So to make calcuim rich diet "healthy" for your body, reach for a salad, toss on a couple nuts and have an orange because that is what does a body good.
Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin
Vitamin D, what’s your thought, is it all hype or is there truth to the matter?Actually for those that live on the equator, D intake does not seem to be a problem. However for those that live in the rest of the world... we have issues. In fact the further you live from the equator the deficiency increases. For those that live in Mexico you have less a deficiency than those that may live in say, Alaska.
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that has properties of both v vitamin and a hormone. It is necessary element for growth; it is required for the absorption of calcium and phosphorus. It protects against muscle weakness and regulation of the heartbeat. It is also important in the prevention and treatment of breast and colon cancer, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and hypocalcaemia, enhances immunity, necessary for thyroid function and normal blood clotting. Deficiency of D can be recognized by loss of appetite, a burning sensation in mouth and throat, diarrhea, insomnia, visual problems, weight loss. Also, a lack of D has been linked to heart disease, rickets, and weak bones. It has been contributed to some states of depression.
More than one kind of D
There are several forms of Vitamin D, including D2, which comes from food sources. D3, which is synthesized in the skin in response to exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays, and a synthetic form identified a sD4. Of the three, D3 is considered a natural form of Vitamin D and is the most active. The form of Vitamin D that we get from food or supplements is not fully active. It require conversion by the liver an then by the kidneys before it become sully active. When the skin is exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet
rays, a cholesterol compound in the skin is transformed into a precursor of vitamin D. Exposing the face and arms to the sun for fifteen minutes three times a week is an effective way to ensure adequate amounts of vitamin d in the body. However researchers have leaned that people living in the upper third of the continental United States cannot produce adequate amounts of Vitamin D from exposure to the limited available sunlight during the winter months. And even the further you are from the equator, the summer months don’t produce enough sunlight.
The right kind and amount of vitamin D is difficult to obtain from dietary sources. It is possible to obtain vitamin D from direct sun exposure - without sunscreen (sunscreens block UV-B rays they in turn prevent the body from converting vitamin D). However, since the generous amount of sunshine necessary to assure sufficient vitamin D exposure is potentially harmful and because we often spend too much of our free time indoors watching television, playing video games, or on the computer, it is advisable for to assure vitamin D levels some other way.
So what do we do?
Panic and start going to tanning beds? NO, that is hardly the cure. Tests have shown that supplementing Vitamin D is helpful and trying to get it through your foods make
a great combination. Taking a sublingual form of Vitamin D is one of the best ways to ‘supplement’ the vitamin. When taken under the tongue, it is quickly absorbed into the system and goes to work right away. However don’t take too much D! Toxicity may results from taking excessive amount s of D with out its counterpart calcium. These two are buddies in the on workings in our body. If we take one without the other, we create an imbalance which can definitely cause other problems.
Good sources of Vitamin D
Fish liver oils, fatty saltwater fish, dairy products, and eggs. Cod liver oil, dandelion greens, egg yolks, halibut, liver, oatmeal, salmon, sardines, sweet potatoes, tuna, and
vegetable oils. Herbs that contain vitamin D include alfalfa, horsetail, nettle and parsley. Soy products, tofu, calcium and D fortified orange juice or milk, and mushrooms.
TwinLab produces a sublingual form of Vitamin D3 that tastes like tangerine. It also have K2 which is a necessary bone building and blood clotting partner. You can stick it right under your tongue and away you go. Just don’t forget to take in some calcium, these babies provide you a whopping 1,000 iu’s of D. Depending on body size and deficiency you may require more.
Maybe you can get your doctor to prescribe a move to a little place near the equator. But until then make sure you take your D seriously, there is something to it.
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that has properties of both v vitamin and a hormone. It is necessary element for growth; it is required for the absorption of calcium and phosphorus. It protects against muscle weakness and regulation of the heartbeat. It is also important in the prevention and treatment of breast and colon cancer, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and hypocalcaemia, enhances immunity, necessary for thyroid function and normal blood clotting. Deficiency of D can be recognized by loss of appetite, a burning sensation in mouth and throat, diarrhea, insomnia, visual problems, weight loss. Also, a lack of D has been linked to heart disease, rickets, and weak bones. It has been contributed to some states of depression.
More than one kind of D
There are several forms of Vitamin D, including D2, which comes from food sources. D3, which is synthesized in the skin in response to exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays, and a synthetic form identified a sD4. Of the three, D3 is considered a natural form of Vitamin D and is the most active. The form of Vitamin D that we get from food or supplements is not fully active. It require conversion by the liver an then by the kidneys before it become sully active. When the skin is exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet
rays, a cholesterol compound in the skin is transformed into a precursor of vitamin D. Exposing the face and arms to the sun for fifteen minutes three times a week is an effective way to ensure adequate amounts of vitamin d in the body. However researchers have leaned that people living in the upper third of the continental United States cannot produce adequate amounts of Vitamin D from exposure to the limited available sunlight during the winter months. And even the further you are from the equator, the summer months don’t produce enough sunlight.
The right kind and amount of vitamin D is difficult to obtain from dietary sources. It is possible to obtain vitamin D from direct sun exposure - without sunscreen (sunscreens block UV-B rays they in turn prevent the body from converting vitamin D). However, since the generous amount of sunshine necessary to assure sufficient vitamin D exposure is potentially harmful and because we often spend too much of our free time indoors watching television, playing video games, or on the computer, it is advisable for to assure vitamin D levels some other way.
So what do we do?
Panic and start going to tanning beds? NO, that is hardly the cure. Tests have shown that supplementing Vitamin D is helpful and trying to get it through your foods make
a great combination. Taking a sublingual form of Vitamin D is one of the best ways to ‘supplement’ the vitamin. When taken under the tongue, it is quickly absorbed into the system and goes to work right away. However don’t take too much D! Toxicity may results from taking excessive amount s of D with out its counterpart calcium. These two are buddies in the on workings in our body. If we take one without the other, we create an imbalance which can definitely cause other problems.
Good sources of Vitamin D
Fish liver oils, fatty saltwater fish, dairy products, and eggs. Cod liver oil, dandelion greens, egg yolks, halibut, liver, oatmeal, salmon, sardines, sweet potatoes, tuna, and
vegetable oils. Herbs that contain vitamin D include alfalfa, horsetail, nettle and parsley. Soy products, tofu, calcium and D fortified orange juice or milk, and mushrooms.
TwinLab produces a sublingual form of Vitamin D3 that tastes like tangerine. It also have K2 which is a necessary bone building and blood clotting partner. You can stick it right under your tongue and away you go. Just don’t forget to take in some calcium, these babies provide you a whopping 1,000 iu’s of D. Depending on body size and deficiency you may require more.
Maybe you can get your doctor to prescribe a move to a little place near the equator. But until then make sure you take your D seriously, there is something to it.
Molasses and you
If your activity level is high, low or somewhere in between you are no doubt concerned about keeping your body in shape inside and out. No matter what foods we shove down our throat, if we don't get the proper nutrients out of those foods our bodies suffer. And when we are active our bodies are taxed further, thus the need to replenish lost nutrients faster and provide "extra" for muscle building and body repair. Sodium, potassium and oxygen rich foods are essential to rebuilding as well as keeping our body from 'starving' thus raising other issues. Most of us are deficient in those 3 critical areas without even knowing it. 99 out of 100 people are sodium deficient and aren't getting the proper nutrition from their diet. Table salt isn't the 'sodium' fix, nor is eating a banana for potassium.
When we are Sodium deficient our bodies become "sick". Sick in the sense that it doesn't work correctly and we feel like "something is wrong". When sodium runs low it signals malnutrition. If we are deficient we will feel great one day and like junk the next. We'll be sleeping during the day and awake with and active mind at night. Potassium deficiency marked by a state of low tissue oxidation, water builds in the tissues which can lead to kidney problems. When you lack potassium lactic acid builds in the system quicker and you are sore post work-out, training, or activity. You can also feel like falling, difficulty focusing mentally/physically, upset tummy, headaches that occur daily about the same time, itchy skin, sensitive corns/scars, and in the worst cases fever and muscles that melt away.
Though one can take supplements to aid in their replenishing the system, unless it's in a form your body can accept.... your system cannot absorb it, thus is flushes right out of your system. When this happens you get nothing from your multi's and your pocket book just gets thinner. The best way to support your system is to take in nutrients in 'food' form. We need to take in foods that are rich in natural sodium and potassium in doses that our body can readily accept. Sodium rich foods are* dates, powdered whey, spinach and carrots. Potassium rich foods are:* raisins, baked potatoes and lima beans. (*see below for a more complete list.)
Sodium rich foods:
apples, dried apricots, asparagus, barley, beets & greens, red cabbage, carrots, celery, cheeses, chick-peas dried, coconut, collard greens, dandelion greens, dates, egg yolks, figs, fish, goat milk, horseradish, kale, kelp, lentils, okra, black olives, parsley, dried peas, dried hot red peppers, prunes, raisins, sesame sees, spinach, strawberries, sunflower seeds, swiss chard, turnip greens, veal joint broth and whey, cow or goat.
Potassium rich foods:
dried apricots, raw avocados, raw bananas, cooked beets, brussels sprouts cooked, cantaloupe, dates, figs, kiwi, lima beans, melons - honeydew, fat free/skim milk, nectarines, orange juice, oranges, pears fresh, dry roasted peanuts, potatoes baked, prune juice, raisins, spinach cooked, tomato products, winter squash, yogurt.
So now you are probably wondering where the molasses comes in? Molasses is not usually listed in any 'food chart' because it is not really a whole food, nor is it a supplement. However molasses is a very important and high source of essential nutrients. Honey is also an excellent because it retains its principle of life longer than any other food source. When you mix the two together, molasses and nutritionally rich foods, you get a valuable addition to your nutritional regimen. Molasses contains one if not the highest sources of potassium, calcium, sodium, magnesium as well as zinc, iron phosphorus and the natural anti-inflammatory selenium. Honey also contains these nutrients, because of its 'life retaining' value it is an excellent mix with molasses. I recommend reading labels to find the highest levels of potassium. When you find a molasses with high potassium levels you will find it is rich with all the other necessary ingredients you are looking for. NOTE: many are worried or have heard of OVER DOSING on potassium, RELAX. The levels of potassium you are taking are no where near what the OD marker is. The truth is you have to take in 18,000 mg or more of potassium daily to even get sick on potassium. The highest source I've found in molasses is just over 730 mg in a tablespoon, you'd have to take in the equivalent of 3 cups of heavy thick molasses to come close to that, and personally I'd get sick to my stomach and throw it back up long before it would ever make me sick form absorption. HOWEVER with that said, don't just go guzzling it either. To get the best use of molasses go by these basic rules.
Energy = Molasses can be taken before you work out to give you a boost before training, workout or activity. Can also be of aid when training for endurance activities, to take a mix 1/2 & 1/2 with honey during your training.
Healing/Recovery = Molasses is best taken after you training, activity etc to keep lactic acid from forming and aid in quicker recovery time.
Endurance = Molasses mixed 1/2 & 1/2 with honey and taken during your activity, climbing, hiking, racing, backpacking etc. will help in sustained endurance levels.
* KEY to using molasses is drinking it with water. Molasses is a liquid, active supplement that will hit your system quickly. If you take it without drinking it will hit your system hard and could make you dizzy, woozy or sick. Just get in the habit of drinking a glass of water after and you will be fine. Note, if you are deficient in potassium or sodium (which are essential electrolytes) molasses will hit you harder than if you are in balance. I personally pre-mix my 1/2 & 1/2 and put it in a squeeze bottle, stick it in my backpack, training bag or next to my supplements, take a squeeze and drink water. It's what we call 'money', molasses & honey combined. So when we are heading out we always make sure we have plenty of 'money' with us, and we will have nothing to worry about.
When we are Sodium deficient our bodies become "sick". Sick in the sense that it doesn't work correctly and we feel like "something is wrong". When sodium runs low it signals malnutrition. If we are deficient we will feel great one day and like junk the next. We'll be sleeping during the day and awake with and active mind at night. Potassium deficiency marked by a state of low tissue oxidation, water builds in the tissues which can lead to kidney problems. When you lack potassium lactic acid builds in the system quicker and you are sore post work-out, training, or activity. You can also feel like falling, difficulty focusing mentally/physically, upset tummy, headaches that occur daily about the same time, itchy skin, sensitive corns/scars, and in the worst cases fever and muscles that melt away.
Though one can take supplements to aid in their replenishing the system, unless it's in a form your body can accept.... your system cannot absorb it, thus is flushes right out of your system. When this happens you get nothing from your multi's and your pocket book just gets thinner. The best way to support your system is to take in nutrients in 'food' form. We need to take in foods that are rich in natural sodium and potassium in doses that our body can readily accept. Sodium rich foods are* dates, powdered whey, spinach and carrots. Potassium rich foods are:* raisins, baked potatoes and lima beans. (*see below for a more complete list.)
Sodium rich foods:
apples, dried apricots, asparagus, barley, beets & greens, red cabbage, carrots, celery, cheeses, chick-peas dried, coconut, collard greens, dandelion greens, dates, egg yolks, figs, fish, goat milk, horseradish, kale, kelp, lentils, okra, black olives, parsley, dried peas, dried hot red peppers, prunes, raisins, sesame sees, spinach, strawberries, sunflower seeds, swiss chard, turnip greens, veal joint broth and whey, cow or goat.
Potassium rich foods:
dried apricots, raw avocados, raw bananas, cooked beets, brussels sprouts cooked, cantaloupe, dates, figs, kiwi, lima beans, melons - honeydew, fat free/skim milk, nectarines, orange juice, oranges, pears fresh, dry roasted peanuts, potatoes baked, prune juice, raisins, spinach cooked, tomato products, winter squash, yogurt.
So now you are probably wondering where the molasses comes in? Molasses is not usually listed in any 'food chart' because it is not really a whole food, nor is it a supplement. However molasses is a very important and high source of essential nutrients. Honey is also an excellent because it retains its principle of life longer than any other food source. When you mix the two together, molasses and nutritionally rich foods, you get a valuable addition to your nutritional regimen. Molasses contains one if not the highest sources of potassium, calcium, sodium, magnesium as well as zinc, iron phosphorus and the natural anti-inflammatory selenium. Honey also contains these nutrients, because of its 'life retaining' value it is an excellent mix with molasses. I recommend reading labels to find the highest levels of potassium. When you find a molasses with high potassium levels you will find it is rich with all the other necessary ingredients you are looking for. NOTE: many are worried or have heard of OVER DOSING on potassium, RELAX. The levels of potassium you are taking are no where near what the OD marker is. The truth is you have to take in 18,000 mg or more of potassium daily to even get sick on potassium. The highest source I've found in molasses is just over 730 mg in a tablespoon, you'd have to take in the equivalent of 3 cups of heavy thick molasses to come close to that, and personally I'd get sick to my stomach and throw it back up long before it would ever make me sick form absorption. HOWEVER with that said, don't just go guzzling it either. To get the best use of molasses go by these basic rules.
Energy = Molasses can be taken before you work out to give you a boost before training, workout or activity. Can also be of aid when training for endurance activities, to take a mix 1/2 & 1/2 with honey during your training.
Healing/Recovery = Molasses is best taken after you training, activity etc to keep lactic acid from forming and aid in quicker recovery time.
Endurance = Molasses mixed 1/2 & 1/2 with honey and taken during your activity, climbing, hiking, racing, backpacking etc. will help in sustained endurance levels.
* KEY to using molasses is drinking it with water. Molasses is a liquid, active supplement that will hit your system quickly. If you take it without drinking it will hit your system hard and could make you dizzy, woozy or sick. Just get in the habit of drinking a glass of water after and you will be fine. Note, if you are deficient in potassium or sodium (which are essential electrolytes) molasses will hit you harder than if you are in balance. I personally pre-mix my 1/2 & 1/2 and put it in a squeeze bottle, stick it in my backpack, training bag or next to my supplements, take a squeeze and drink water. It's what we call 'money', molasses & honey combined. So when we are heading out we always make sure we have plenty of 'money' with us, and we will have nothing to worry about.
