Bioavailability of Iron in Our Bodies
By Alison Addy | June 5, 2008
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This article talks about the importance of iron in our body and things that affect the bioavailability of iron in vitamins.
Necessity of Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamins and minerals are essential to our overall health and growth. They play such a large part in our body. From producing and maintaining necessary enzymes and tissues to helping our organs to function properly, vitamins and minerals are a necessity for a healthy life. There are different ways to acquire the vitamins and minerals we need. Because they are available in animals and plant tissues, we can get many of these by eating vitamin rich foods. However, if you don’t feel you will get what you need just by the foods you eat, there are vitamin supplements you can take in tablet or pill form.
Iron - One of the Important Ones
Iron is a very important mineral for our bodies. From the time we were little we’ve all been told to take our vitamins to put iron in our body so we don’t become anemic. The primary purpose of iron is to help in the production of hemoglobin, myoglobin as well as other enzymes. Hemoglobin is the primary component in our red blood cells while myoglobin is the primary source of protein in our muscles. The iron in our bodies delivers oxygen to our muscles by way of our blood, which is a way to get energy into our cells. Another role of iron is to remove carbon dioxide from our cells. Many people today are deficient in iron, especially woman. In fact, when we go to the doctor with symptoms of feeling listless, run down and tired, the first test they will do is a test to see if you’re anemic.
The way iron is absorbed in our body is different depending on if we got our iron from natural sources in food or by vitamin supplements in pills or tablets. For this reason, the bioavailability of iron in supplements is often at debate. The RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) of iron in our body is 18 milligrams, but some iron supplements exceed this amount, which makes many question the effectiveness of the bioavailability of the iron content in vitamins. The bioavailability of iron in vitamin pills and tablets is affected differently in each person. If we take more than we should, we may get a sour or upset stomach. Actually, because we get iron from the foods we eat regularly, the bioavailability of iron in vitamin tablets should be reduced.
Since it is medical professionals and pharmaceutical firms that are ones that are putting limits on the iron content in vitamins, the question of bioavailability of iron in vitamins should be addressed with them. The fact that we get iron in many of the foods we eat should be taken into consideration, although there are certain circumstances where certain people need more iron such as pregnancy and patients with anemia. Too much iron can cause problems such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
Topics: Nutrition | No Comments »
How We Can Get Vitamin B12
By Alison Addy | June 5, 2008
This article talks about the importance of Vitamin B12 as well ways we can get it in our systems.
What is Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12, an important part of the B group of vitamins, is a water-soluble vitamin. Most vitamins that are water-soluble do not stay in our bodies. Instead of being stored in our bodies like fat-soluble vitamins, they leave our bodies when we urinate. Vitamin B12, however, does not leave our body like most other water-soluble vitamins. It stays in our body and can be stored in our liver for many years. This is why a Vitamin B12 deficiency is rare. Vitamin B12 is also known as Cobalamin, a name it was given because it contains the metal cobalt. There are many vitamins, all which have their own purpose in our bodies. This is also the case with Vitamin B12, a member of the B vitamin complex family.
Vitamin B12 is a very important vitamin for our overall good health. Many people don’t fully understand its function and have popular misconceptions about this vitamin. The main purpose of Vitamin B12 is to maintain the proper functioning in our central nervous system and also our brain. It also helps form our red blood cells and our DNA, which is are the genetic cells in our body. Vitamin B12 is also needed to help the metabolizing of our fatty acids and turning them into energy production. The energy in our body comes from the burning of our stored fat. Although a lot of our fat is burned into energy through exercise and activities, Vitamin B12 helps the process.
Common Misconceptions About Vitamin B12
Where many of the misconceptions regarding this vitamin come from is centered on its ability to aid in the metabolic functioning and energy reproduction. Many people believe since this is the function of Vitamin B12 that if they increase their intake of the vitamin, it will help them burn fat faster, thus making them lose weight. Many think of Vitamin B12 as a miracle diet or fat burning pill. Its only purpose is in helping metabolic functioning, not helping us burn more fat than normal.
Sources of Vitamin B12
We do need Vitamin B12 for its help in keeping our nervous system and brain function normally. Although Vitamin B12 is available in supplement pills, it is seldom needed in that form as it’s quite easy to get your required amount in foods you consume. Some of the major foods that contain Vitamin B12 are eggs, poultry, meat, shellfish, milk and milk products. The main sources are foods that come from meat. Once vitamin B12 is in your body, it can be stored there for many years. Although Vitamin B12 deficiency is very rare, it may occur. Those that most commonly suffer from this deficiency are vegetarians who don’t consume meat or the vegetables that may contain the vitamin. Other vitamins may be those with intestinal problems that prevent them from being able to absorb Vitamin B12.
Topics: Nutrition | No Comments »
Body Fats Myth Debunked
By Kelvin Wemout | June 5, 2008
There are many body fats myths out there that do not withstand the scrutiny of scientific research. Let me share with you some of these common body fats myths and hopefully we are able to put them to rest today.
One of the most common myths is that doing lots of cardio exercise is the best way to lose fat. While cardio exercise can indeed help you cut down on fats, too much can remove your fat and destroy your muscle tissue. With less muscles, your body metabolic rate automatically slows down.
Hopefully, you can see the reason why you should not exercise excessively or you could have less muscles to stimulate body metabolic rate. Without sufficient muscles, your body will not be able to burn body fat efficiently. Our advice is that you should plan your cardio exercises properly. Combine with some resistance training to get the optimal impact.
The next common myth is that muscles are heavier than fats. One pound of muscles weigh the same as one pound of fats. It is not the weight here that matters but the size.
The fact is that for the same one pound of fat and muscle, the volume of fats is three times that the volume of muscles. That is the reason why fats make you look so flabby.
Another misconception is that we can actually target the body part we want to slim down just by working out those parts. This myth is pretty entrenched in the minds of people all thanks to the advertisments we see on television. Unfortunately, our bodies do not work that way.
During exercises, your body choose where to reduce fats. There is no way to spot reduce physiologically. Getting rid of stubborn fats do need you to be engaged in proper exercises and balanced meals.
A thin person has no fats is another one pervasive myth. Many people assume that because a thin person looks healthy and has no fats, he or she would not need any exercises. That is totally false. Do you know that unless the thin person does exercise regularly and is eating properly, he or she can have a high fat percentage? It is believed that the invisible fats that surround our vital organs are as dangerous as the visible ones that protude our bodies. Again the solution to eliminating these fats is through balanced diets and proper exercises.
As science research progresses, more and more myths on body fats are being debunked. However, with so many more of these misconceptions still surrounding us, you may want to consult the professionals in your area to clarify any doubts that you have. They should be able to answer some of the most pressing questions you have about body fat.
Topics: Lose Weight | No Comments »
Burning Fat Is The One Step To Effective Weight Loss Results
By Wendy D Hearn | June 5, 2008
There is a huge number of people in our society who want to lose weight. Instead of working to make it happen though they want a quick fix. We have all seen advertisements on TV for diet pills. The stores are filled with products that people spend millions of dollars on annually. The problem with these fad diets though is that you will mainly be losing water from your body and nothing else.
That is why so many people see an initial weight loss and then nothing more. As soon as they quit taking those products they are going to gain the weight back due to the amount of water in their body increasing. If you want to lose weight you are going to have to put some effort in. If you want to take it off and keep it off then you are going to have to burn fat.
The key to doing so is to have a combination of a healthy diet and a successful exercise program. What you eat is going to affect the amount of fat on your body. The amount that you eat is a factor as well. With a well balanced diet though you won’t be skipping meals, you can have snacks, and you won’t feel hungry. There are more calories in a small carton of French fries than a large salad with low fat dressing.
Getting yourself moving is important if you want to lose weight. When your body is moving around you are going to burn fat. You will need to burn more calories each day than you taken in to lose weight though. There are plenty of different types of exercises you can take part in. Some people love to walk while others want an intense workout session.
It is important to find exercises that you enjoy doing. If you have to force yourself to get started each day then you won’t be able to stick to the plan. Don’t expect too much from yourself at the start either. Make a plan to exercise for a certain amount of time each day. Even 15 minutes will get you moving. Gradually increase the time that you spend as well as the degree of difficulty involved in some of the exercises.
It is important to properly stretch both before and after each workout as well. Otherwise you increase the risk of hurting yourself. This isn’t going to be productive and it will be painful. You don’t want to have to refrain from exercising for a period of time due to your body needing time to heal.
As you work out more, you will start to burn more fat. This is because working out is going to increase the percentage of muscle mass that you have. In return, you will use more energy to burn fat. That means a couple of months from now you can be doing the same workout but getting faster results due to the increased amount of muscle mass you have on your body.
The desire to lose weight may be one that you have. Get yourself motivated by deciding to go about it in the right way. Forget all of those gimmicks that will just leave you frustrated. If you are willing to evaluate your eating habits as well as your level of physical activity you can implement positive changes. The only true way you are going to lose weight is if you implement measures to burn fat.
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Topics: Weight Loss | No Comments »
Sitting On A Chair Helps You With Weight Loss
By Wendy D Hearn | June 5, 2008
Do you remember the last time you sat down and ate a good home cooked meal? Or even one at a nice restaurant where you weren’t rushed through like a herd of cattle? Unfortunately, most people can’t remember when they sat down and actually had a good meal. In this day and age, we are always on the run, taking our children to this activity or that, dealing with work issues, and other events that make us rush, rush, rush.
Fast food makes it all too easy for most people to deal with the necessary activity of eating. This in turn makes us forget that in order to lose weight successfully we need to watch what we put in our bodies. Face it, fast food is chock full of calories and preservatives that no one actually needs.
When you do not sit down at the dining room table and actually pay attention to what you’re eating and enjoy it, you will probably eat too much. We don’t get a feeling of fullness or satisfaction when we eat on the run and our minds are too busy to really pay attention what we’re doing. We tend to eat too much because we eat too fast and unless we get full when we eat a meal, we find ourselves hungry an hour later. So what do we do? We eat again.
By not stopping long enough to eat a decent meal, to enjoy it and savor the flavor of the food, our body does not get full. There is a reason why we are told to chew each mouthful a set amount of times. It forces us to slow down and to not swallow pieces of food that are too large and take longer to digest. We have to give our bodies the opportunity to digest our food properly, another problem that we all have. Once again the rush factor comes into play.
Sitting down to eat a meal is a way to lose weight, especially if we make it ourselves. When we prepare a meal, we know exactly what is cooked, how much seasoning is put into it, the portions that are servedall of these factors into a good dietary regimen. Even if you are not on a diet, by simply paying attention to the size of your portions and what you are eating can make a big difference.
When you sit down to eat, specifically when you or a member of the family prepares the meal, try to eat at least something from each of the four food groups. A meat, a starch, a vegetable, a fruit, and a dairy are all key components to a healthy meal. Try not too each two starches if you can avoid it - such as mashed potatoes and corn. Starches break down into sugar and sugar can cause a gain in weight. Eat leafy vegetables, such as spinach and broccoli, to assure your body gets enough fiber. If you like bread on the side, have a slice of whole wheat instead of white.
The point here is to make sure that no matter how busy your schedule is, sit down and eat. Don’t stand up with your plate in your hand, actually sit down. Converse with your family, eat your food slowly, and make sure that you enjoy your meal instead of not tasting it and then wondering why you’re hungry later on.
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