Posts Tagged ‘food’

Staying Healthy With Organic Food

One of the most important aspects of staying healthy
is with the food that we eat. The food that we eat at
each mealtime, or snack time determines the kind of
nutrients that we would be getting. The certain
amounts of these nutrients also matter as any
excessive or insufficiency may lead to complications
and eventually illness on the individual.

Staying
healthy with organic food has been frowned upon by a
majority of the society as fast foods and processed
food products are made available in the groceries and
supermarkets. These processed foods are advertised
with as much flavorings as budget to keep them in the
diet of the people.

Organic food has been known to be superior in
beneficial outcomes to the body than their artificial
and processed counterparts. Better Bowel Movement

Organic food, which usually come in the form of fresh
vegetable and fruit produce, and organically fed
animals contribute to a higher stability in bowel
movement. For one, the fiber content of these fresh
produce are still intact and almost undamaged. This
high fiber content or quality is able to absorb the
fluids in the intestines and form a solid fecal mass,
good for excretion. Think if these fibers as a broom
passed through our intestines. The higher quality of
the bristles, the better efficiency there is in
sweeping away old fecal deposits in the intestinal
tract. This therefore allows better nutrient
absorption on succeeding nutrient passes.

It Reduces Health Risks

With artificially prepared market produce such as
vegetables, fruits, and meat, the individual ingesting
them are subject to all the pesticides and artificial
drug enhancers that were used. Some of these harmful
chemicals embed in the produce and may not be properly
cleansed until cooking.

Organically prepared meat and produce are grown
without the chemicals, pesticides and the like which
would have been created to kill pests thereby reducing
the risk of unwanted illness. Common illnesses that
occur with chemicals accidentally ingested are related
to the gastrointestinal tract.

Contains Higher Nutrient Levels

Organic foods retain the natural amount of nutritive
value that they should ideally be containing. As
opposed to artificially processed foods, these organic
foods have not yet been subjected to the different
processing methods which transform the original food
product into several forms. Changing its structure,
and applying heat to these organic foods, as well as
with simple slicing, would cause a part of the
nutrient value to disintegrate and be lost in the
whole process.

The biggest culprit in this manner is canned goods
which have passed through countless processing bins,
and artificial flavorings to produce the replica of a
supposed food product. Furthermore, the main harmful
ingredient of canned goods is preservatives. Simply
put, preservatives are chemical agents used to lessen
the normal process of deterioration of all organic
products.

Better Environment

With the method of growing for organic food products,
the environment is saved from chemical alteration by
the chemicals and pesticides that should have been
otherwise used. Ecological balance is helped
maintained in this method and would result to a better
living environment of the individual as well.

Patronizing the idea of staying healthy with organic
food is a good way to maximize nutritive efficiency in
a person’s body system and out of a person by the
environment and its contribution to the individual’s
well being.

Go to – www.burnthefathub.com for some excellent tips and advice.

www.awesome-fat-eliminator.info

Lucas Price – http://thedownloadshub.com/

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/wellness-articles/staying-healthy-with-organic-food-1431620.html

Food Allergy Website Claims High Profile NABIM Wheat Allergy & Intolerance Report Is Biased, Misleading and Damaging to Those Living with Food Related Health Conditions


Brisbane, Australia (PRWEB) March 26, 2012

Headlines such as “20% of adults think they suffer from a food allergy or food intolerance, but evidence suggests that the real prevalence is less than 2%” have been popping up in the media since the February 2012 release of the NABIM Wheat Allergy & Intolerance Report from The University of Portsmouth; a report that claims to be addressing the myths surrounding food intolerances and food allergies in today’s society.

But look at little closer and you will find that the study was commissioned by The Flour Advisory Board, an organization with the sole objective of promoting the consumption of bread. “The findings that are being splashed around are meaningless, misleading and damaging to the millions of people already struggling with the epidemic of food related health conditions,” says Michelle Kazukaitis of The Allergy Menu.

To directors of TheAllergyMenu.com, Pauline O’Sullivan and Michelle Kazukaitis, it is important to keep up to date with research and development in the world of food allergies and intolerances. “The report has attracted a lot of media attention and is basically saying that people who think that they have food intolerances are imagining it. We see and hear from these people every day, and we know that this issue is absolutely real. Which is why we wanted to delve a little deeper into these findings,” says Michelle.

“It turns out that the NABIM Wheat Allergy & Intolerance Report was commissioned by the Flour Advisory Bureau, which raised alarm bells instantly. How can the Flour Advisory Bureau be unbiased in reporting about who should eat wheat/ grain/gluten/flour?” adds Pauline O’Sullivan.

According to their own website, the objective of the Flour Advisory Bureau is to encourage people to eat more bread as part of a healthy, balanced diet and communicate bread’s nutritional merits through a range of activities. Basically to show the positive contribution bread makes to the UK diet.

British Charity Organisation, Allergy UK, reports that as many as 25 million people – that’s almost half the UK population – believe that they suffer from a food intolerance. The main intolerances are gluten, wheat and dairy products. “This clearly does not sit well with the objectives of the Flour Advisory Bureau. Hence the report,” says Michelle. “However, potential conflict of interest/bias aside, looking at the ‘facts’ resulting from the report, it is not difficult to see how easy it is to manipulate figures to suit your agenda – especially when the study comes out of a University and has doctors attached to it. It is a marketing ploy, and extremely convincing evidence to those who skim read the report and eat up the headlines.”

One such headline comes from a key researcher involved in the report, Dr Heather McKenzie. Dr McKenzie says that the results of the report show ?there is a clear discrepancy between the number of people who report that they have food allergy or intolerance and the numbers whose food allergy/intolerance can be confirmed by a medical diagnosis.”

Right. Could this be because a in the majority of cases a medical diagnosis does not exist?

The NABIM Wheat Allergy and Intolerance Report goes on to say, “At present there are no validated tests for diagnosing food intolerance.” The best the report could offer was to avoid eating the suspected food for 4-6 weeks and see if you feel better. Not exactly rocket science and certainly not a medical diagnosis.

“So, 25 million people in the UK alone believe they have a food allergy or intolerance, but tests do not exist to support a diagnosis. Does this mean that they do not have a food allergy or intolerance and that 24,500,000 of these people are deluded? This is what the NABIM Report is insinuating,” says Pauline.

Validated Tests required for medical diagnosis only exist for certain types of food related health conditions, such as anaphylactic food allergies and celiac disease and are yet to be developed for the majority of food intolerances. Therefore only 2% are capable at present of being diagnosed. This does not mean that the others do not have a real food intolerance – it only means that the medical profession does not yet possess the validated tests required to diagnose it.

According to Pauline and Michelle “This skewed information is a slap in the face to those living with food intolerances who are already struggling to live with a condition that is often dismissed by the public and the medical fraternity as trendy, modern day hypochondria.” Telegraph Journalist Max Pemberton stated in his column on March 23 2012 that “some people use food intolerance as a socially acceptable way to say they just don?t like something.”

Pauline explains, “Aside from the physical symptoms caused by consuming the food that their bodies are intolerant to (such as eczema, skin rashes, bloating, flatulence, constipation, etc), those living with food intolerances find that their quality of life is diminished and they feel socially isolated. This condition frequently involves multiple foods, impacting on the many social occasions centered on food that we enjoy and is often disregarded or dismissed by others due to the lack of a ‘proper diagnosis.’”

Pauline has experienced this first hand. “When a medical problem relies upon a patient?s subjective reporting of symptoms and cannot be accurately measured by standard medical tests, patients frequently complain that they are left without adequate support to identify the cause of their pain or to treat or manage their symptoms. This tends to cause sufferers to attempt to self diagnose and manage their condition alone. Perhaps instead of alienating the afflicted more, we could put some time, money and attention into developing medically accepted tests and protocols to help the enormous percentage of the western world that are living with food related health concerns.”

References:

http://eprints.port.ac.uk/1432/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthadvice/maxpemberton/7168007/Food-intolerance-the-new-epidemic.html

http://www.allergyuk.org/news_foodallergyintolerance.aspx

http://www.fabflour.co.uk/content/1/8/about-us.html

http://www.theallergymenu.com





The Best Food Sources of Omega 3 Fats and How To Select The Right Ones

There has been so much written recently about the best food sources of omega 3 fats that it can be quite confusing to keep up. Here is a brief guide to the very best ones and the simplest way to include them in your diet.

Omega 3 rich foods that are good are leafy greens like spinach and kale, flaxseed, strawberries, walnut and almonds from vegetable sources. Most good quality meat will contain some omega 3 like beef and chicken.

As you are probably aware, fatty fish like hoki, tuna and salmon are the very best, as they contain high levels of the two most important omega 3 fats – EPA and DHA. The vegetable sources will give you ALA fatty acids which contain nowhere near the amount of health benefits.

There is no disputing the fact that we should all increase our intake of the right omega 3 fats as over 90% of us are lacking in them!

There is also no disputing the incredible health benefits they provide including improved heart and brain health, lower cholesterol, better eyesight and a weapon in the fight against cancer to name a few.

But despite fresh fish being the best food sources of omega 3 fats, they also contain many harmful toxins that cancel out the benefits, leading experts to recommend a daily distilled fish oil supplement as the perfect solution so you can quickly and conveniently receive the full benefits.

I say distilled because the process of molecular distillation will remove all those toxins like mercury, lead, PCB’s and arsenic that are routinely found in fresh fish. Just check the label to see.

High DHA levels are also vital as this fatty acid is largely responsible for most of the health benefits, despite what some companies would have you believe!

I would recommend a minimum of 250mg of DHA per individual capsule, with two a day being the normal dose.

If you want to ensure you are getting all the benefits from these amazing fats, don’t concentrate on food sources of omega 3 fats so much but look to take a daily supplement instead.

If you would like to learn more about the high quality DHA omega 3 supplements I personally take daily, visit my website today.

Discover the best omega-3 fish oil today.

Rich Hawkins is a dedicated researcher of nutrition, diet and the amazing health benefits of high-quality fish oil. Take a moment to visit his site now at www.best-omega-3-supplement.com and discover the very latest and effective omega-3 fish oil supplements Rich recommends after extensive research.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/supplements-and-vitamins-articles/the-best-food-sources-of-omega-3-fats-and-how-to-select-the-right-ones-1416057.html

Information about vitamin c

The vitamin C is also known as L-ascorbic acid which is an important form of nutrient in humans working as vitamin. The vitamin C is needed in large amount for metabolic reactions in animals and plants. It is a natural product occured itself in every organisms along with mammals. Even vitamin C is also an important for guinea pigs and many speices of birds and fish. If somebody lacks vitamin C in one’s diet then one is going to suffer from scurvy in human body. One should have the information that vitamin C is used as food additive for commercial purposes.

Vitamin C helps in reducing oxidative stress and also act as a cofactor in many vital enzymatic reactions. Actually vitamin C is infact the pure form of L-enantiomer of ascorbate as the other negative form of d-enantiomer contains no physiological significance in human body. Vitamin C also helps in improving the antioxidant capacity of humanblood. Mostly animals and plants has the ability of synthesizing vitamin C in them. In this way enzyme helps in converting glucose into vitamin C. In many mammals the biosynthesis occured in the kidney suchas reptiles and birds. This process of biosynthesis is important for the formation of vitamin C.

One will find that adult goat is a good source of vitamin C. And the consumption of vitamin C taken from it helps in reduction of stress. Human being must consume proper dose of vitamin C as it will help in the treatment while suffering from trauma and injury. In certain microorganism it is seen that yeast named as Saccharomyces cerevisiae has the ability of synthesising vitamin C from common sugars. Scurvy which is occured due tothe lack of vitamin C unables the even collagen to function in the body. Scurvy shows its sign as liver spots on skin, spongy gums, alongwith bleeding from mucous membranes. Person suffering from it appears pale and weak and depressed. So one should know that the human body contains a limited stock of vitamin C in the body as result one has to take oral consumption of vitamin C to keep advance stock of it for the immunity of the body. One can read booklets and visit on website for collecting information about vitamin C to balance the consumption of vitamin C in the body and in guiding someone who highly need that.

Want to gain more info on vitamin c and other factoid, then please visit the vitamins site.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/supplements-and-vitamins-articles/information-about-vitamin-c-1381123.html

Safeguard Joints that are Prone to Injury

Many of us take joint health for granted. The strange thing is that you can injure a joint and not even know it. Injury can take place by simply overusing a particular joint or wearing the wrong type of footwear. But once an injury has taken place, it can lead to a gradual degeneration of that joint. The cartilage can begin to tear and bone rubs against bone causing pain and inflammation of surrounding tissues. Joint pain can often manifest after the age of forty and after that the need for joint pain relief can grow more intense. By caring for your joints now, you could avoid pain later.

Which joints require the most care or joint support? Let’s take a look at 10 joints that are most prone to injury.

Joint Support for Elbows: Injuries to the elbow joint can occur when playing sports like mountain climbing, racquet sports, baseball, or any sport that involves a throwing or swinging action like golf and volleyball. Elbow injury could also be caused by an occupation that involves repetitive use of the elbow joint.

Joint Support for Ankles: The ankles bear the largest weight. Injuries to the ankle usually occur when we step on uneven surfaces and twist the ankle. Vigorous physical activity such as jumping, landing on a hard or uneven surface can also cause injury to the ankle joint. Joint pain relief becomes vital since it can limit our mobility.

Joint Support for Knees: The knee joint is a weight-bearing joint. Common knee injuries can be due to a blow to the knee by a fall, a sudden stop while running or a twist of the knee, or overuse. Pain can gradually increases with age.

Joint Support for Back joints: Historically the lower back usually incurs more wear and tear. The back bears the weight of the body, but also bears extra stress when we lift heavy objects. Laborers and athletes who do weight training are more susceptible to back aches. Injury can also occur due to poor posture or being overweight. Joint pain relief may be found by massage therapy. Injuries to the back can be difficult to rehabilitate and are more likely to recur.

Joint Support for Shoulders: Being a ball and socket joint, the shoulder joint is flexible and affords wide range of motion. Pain here can arise due to poor posture, wear and tear, overuse, aging, sports such as baseball or tennis, even repetitive household chores that affect the shoulders. Many have found joint pain relief by adopting a proper posture or giving adequate recovery time between sports events.

Joint Support for Neck: A pain in the neck can be due to contact sports, lifting heavy objects or a jerking movement of the neck. It can also be due to poor posture or sitting at your desk for extended periods without stretch breaks. Stretch exercises for the neck can help bring joint pain relief.

Joint Support for Wrist: The most common injury to the wrist is linked to joint impact due to a fall or an accident. The wrist can also suffer injury due to poor positioning of the wrist on a keyboard for prolonged periods. Repetitive use in daily activities can also trigger wrist pain.

Joint Support for Fingers: Wear and tear occurs more easily and shows itself gradually. Simple tasks become difficult such as paring an apple, knitting, or opening the lids of a jar. Joint pain relief may be found by increasing circulation and regular exercise.

Joint Support for Hips: The hips are weight-bearing joints. The cartilage can begin to wear and tear faster especially for those involved in sports like golf, skiing, track, soccer or football. Professional dancers are also prone to hip pain as are those who over-exercise. Many find joint pain relief through low impact exercises.

Joint Support for Toes: Injury here is more common among people who play on artificial turf.. People who wear footwear that does not give support to the forefront joints are also prone to toe injury.

Some of you reading this may think the damage is already done, what can I do? There aren’t any ways to bring back time but fortunately there have been scientific breakthroughs that can help restore joint health to some extent.

Joint health supplements such as GoFlex contain a list of scientifically supported ingredients—both natural and herbal—that can help to nutritionally support the healthy functions of your joint. GoFlex also comes with a topical, fast-acting cream which contains Food and Drug Administration-approved ingredient for pain, capsicum. Ingredients for joint support include glucosamine sulfate, MSM, hyal joint, Interhealth collagen type II, boswellin, white willow bark, grape seed extract and more.

GoFlex is a scientifically-based, physician-approved joint health supplement containing herbal and natural nutrients that specifically support vital joint functions for maintaining mobility and flexibility. GoFlex includes a joint health supplement and joint pain relief cream containing an Food and Drug Association-approved ingredient for fast-acting joint pain relief.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/supplements-and-vitamins-articles/safeguard-joints-that-are-prone-to-injury-1382136.html

Joint Stiffness? Keep Moving!

It is estimated that about 60 percent of the people who suffer from moderate to severe joint pain live sedentary lives or do not get enough physical exercise to produce actual health benefits from their exercise. Joint pain sufferers usually don’t want to exercise due to fear that any kind of intensive physical exercise may lead to more pain. Many medical professionals believe that being sedentary because of painful joints may actually do more harm than good for joint health. Resting your joints can take you further away from your goal for muscle and joint relief. If you have suffered a joint injury, or believe you have you should always consult your doctor before beginning an exercise program.

If you have suffered a joint injury, or believe you have you should always consult your doctor before beginning an exercise program

Your doctor might tell you that exercising painful joints the right way can help to:

  • ease joint pain
  • increase flexibility
  • strengthen joints
  • build stamina

The logic might sound hard to believe but there is sufficient clinical data to show that moderate to intensive exercise programs really can help strengthen muscle and joint relief can be the result. There’s also strong suggestive evidence from research which show that a joint health supplement may also relieve inflammation and discomfort while rehabilitating joints.

If your joints are stiff and painful, begin slowly and build up to a moderate exercise regimen. Here are a few tips to help you get started and get the best out of your exercise program to support muscle and joint relief:

  • Use heat therapy before you begin your exercises. Apply hot towels to joints or take a warm bath or shower for about 20 minutes. This should help you experience muscle and joint relief in every part of the body.
  • Warm up your muscles and joints by beginning your exercise routine with range of motion exercises. This is simply moving your arms up and down and in rotation or jogging in place. Do this for 5 minutes.
  • Perform stretch exercises for 5 to 7 minutes. Gently and slowly, stretch each joint of your body and hold for at least 30 seconds. Bouncing during a stretch can damage muscles. Stretch exercises release the tension and also help provide muscle and joint relief. They also stimulate healthy joint functions.
  • After the stretch exercises, you can alternate days for aerobics and strength training exercises. Strength training helps to build muscles. Strong muscles help to strengthen joint health. Aerobics such as walking, bicycling or swimming can help support circulation, protect cardiovascular health, and build up stamina and energy. It is important to perform only low impact exercises.
  • Finish your exercise with cold packs on joints for about 10 minutes. This can help to restrict any inflammation or pain that may arise after an exercise regimen.

It is important to note a progression in muscle and joint relief as the weeks go by. If at any point you feel unusual pain or there is swelling of a joint, rest that particular joint for a day or until the swelling has gone down.

In addition to appropriate exercise, taking a joint health supplement can help provide your body with the nutrition it needs for muscle and joint support. A joint health supplement which contains glucosamine sulfate has been extensively researched and shows efficacy in nutritionally supporting joint health. Other well-researched ingredients for muscle and joint health include hyal joint, Interhealth collagen type II and MSM. Boswellin, curcumin 3 and white willow bark help ease inflammation and pain. A joint health supplement may also contain green lipped mussel extract which helps to lubricate the joints for more flexibility. Grape seed extract is an antioxidant and helps to support irculation.

Start taking a joint health supplement, like GoFlex, 4-6 weeks before you begin an exercise regimen. After 4 to 6 weeks you can start experiencing the results –and this can help you consistently maintain an exercise routine for joint health. GoFlex also comes with a topical cream containing an Food and Drug Administration-approved ingredient called capsaicin. Capsaicin, applied topically to painful joints, is a fast-acting pain reliever.

GoFlex is a scientifically-based, physician-approved joint health supplement containing herbal and natural nutrients that specifically support vital joint functions for maintaining mobility and flexibility. GoFlex includes a joint health supplement and joint pain relief cream containing an Food and Drug Association-approved ingredient for fast-acting joint pain relief.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/supplements-and-vitamins-articles/joint-stiffness-keep-moving-1382140.html

Women and Joint Healthcare

Studies have shown that women experience more joint pain than men and in more areas of the body than men do. It is said that this is because women generally have less cartilage in their joints than men do. Another reason that women may experience more joint pain than men is because the breakdown of cartilage happens faster in women than in men.

Estrogen Offers Joint Support

Female hormones are believed to heighten a woman’s vulnerability to pain. Hormone fluctuations in the lifespan of a woman may give rise to joint pain and a greater need for joint support than men. It is important that women consider taking daily nutritional support through joint supplements.

Estrogen, a female hormone, is known to have joint supporting cartilage-protective properties. This is why women tend to experience joint pain after menopause when estrogen levels go down. It is also the reason why some women experience joint pain at the onset of menstruation when estrogen levels plummet. Joint supplements that contain glucosamine, taken regularly, can help alleviate the internal effects of hormonal fluctuations on joint health.

During maternity, estrogen levels peak and then drop in the post-partum phase which is when women most women experience joint pain. A joint support care program is essential during this phase. You will need to consult with your physician whether joint supplements may be taken during pregnancy and lactation.

Women Experience More Pain

There is a theory that explains why women are apt to experience more pain than men. Women, it appears, produce less endorphins than men. Endorphins are hormones that are known to be the body’s natural painkillers. If the production of endorphins is less it will result in experiencing more pain. Another cause suggests that women are more limber and loose-jointed than men and therefore incur more friction in the joints which accelerates joint degeneration. Joint supplements that contain well-researched ingredients such as boswellin and white willow bark can help to alleviate pain and inflammation often associated with joint pain.

Joint Care and Joint Supplements

Weight management is a major proponent for joint support. Maintaining a healthy weight will ease the pressure, especially on weight-bearing joints such as the knees, hips and ankles. Try to incorporate at least 30 minutes of exercise five days a week and keep to a healthy diet. In addition, you may want to try joint supplements. Look for ingredients which have scientific support for promoting joint health and are known for their efficacy and safety.

A doctor-approved joint supplement like GoFlex comes with a topical cream that contains an Food and Drug Administration-approved ingredient called capsaicin. Topically applied, capsaicin is very effective as a fast pain reliever. Together with joint health supplement that nutritionally nourish your joints, these are every woman’s assets to enjoying a longer, healthier and safer joint support system.

GoFlex is a scientifically-based, physician-approved joint health supplement containing herbal and natural nutrients that specifically support vital joint functions for maintaining mobility and flexibility. GoFlex includes a joint health supplement and joint pain relief cream containing an Food and Drug Association-approved ingredient for fast-acting joint pain relief.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/supplements-and-vitamins-articles/women-and-joint-healthcare-1382151.html

Discover Foods with DHA

Some people find it hard to believe that the only foods with DHA are seafood and fish.  How can something that is supposed to be so important to human health be available in such limited quantities?

When we think of other essential nutrients, things like vitamin C and calcium, we know that they are found abundantly throughout nature in meats, dairy products, fruits and vegetables.  Vegans will argue that it is possible to live a relatively long and healthy life without consuming fish.  So, how could it be considered an essential food?

The real answer to these questions and others like them is this.  Scientists don’t know.  They have theories about the role that seafood played in evolution.  They have reason to believe that the nutrient would have been present in the food chain, in things other than fish and seafood, before modern farming and feeding practices began.

In order to feed the population explosion, it became necessary to mass produce food.  Shortly after the world wars and the Great Depression, it became obvious that food shortage was a problem and would become an even bigger problem in the future.

In order to feed nations of hungry people, we gave up most of the non-fish foods with DHA, without any body realizing it.  At that time, starvation and outright nutritional deficiency diseases were big problems, everywhere.  Not just in underdeveloped nations.  Before scientists could begin thinking about the “ideal” human diet, they had to be able to figure out how to feed the baby boomers and the rest of the planet.

Mass production made it possible to produce grains, fruits and vegetables more cheaply, while making cattle and poultry fatter, so that they would feed more people.  As time went by, food producers learned that it was safer to raise chickens indoors, away from viruses and other sources of infection.

They fed grain to all of the farm animals, rather than grass, because the animals became fatter and brought higher prices at market.  That is really what reduced the number of foods with DHA and probably led to what we refer to as modern-day health problems; increased incidences of heart disease, type II diabetes, depression, Alzheimer’s and various kinds of cancer.

As the mainstream medical community and food manufacturers have finally accepted that DHA itself is essential and cannot be replaced by even high intakes of ALA, the omega-3 found in vegetable oils, we have begun to see a few fortified foods with DHA.  In addition to infant formulas and baby food, there are a few dairy products and other items that have been fortified with the nutrient.

Laurel Cohen is a strong advocate of natural health in all its forms: skin care, supplementation, and farm fresh foods. She enjoys introducing people to the best natural products she can find and uses herself daily. Visit her site http://www.omega-3-for-health.com to learn about the omega 3 fish oils Laurel uses daily for optimal health.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/supplements-and-vitamins-articles/discover-foods-with-dha-1377153.html

What is DHA used for in Supplements?

What is DHA used for these days?  While the abbreviation could refer to a form of vitamin C, the active ingredient in self-tanning products or a coal tar derivative, it is most commonly used to refer to Docosahexaenoic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid.  Here’s where you’ll find it and what it’s good for.

The primary dietary source of Docosahexaenoic acid in the human diet is fish and seafood.  At one time, beef, poultry and eggs may have been a source of the nutrient, but as they have been taken off of grass and other greens, fed primarily corn and grain, the foods are no longer sources of the nutrient.  Any omega-3 that they contain is alpha-linolenic acid or ALA.

ALA is an essential fatty acid, but it is not used by the human body “as is”.  It is converted to Eicosapentaenoic acid, which through a series of steps may eventually be converted to Docosahexaenoic acid, but researchers believe that the conversion occurs only under severe circumstances.  They know that only a small amount is converted and that high intakes of ALA do not increase circulating blood levels of Docosahexaenoic acid, which makes it an essential fatty acid, too.

What is DHA used for in the human body?  It is a primary component of brain cells, neurons and the epithelium inside of the eye.  It is believed that regular fish and seafood consumption was what allowed man’s brain to become larger, in the first place.

Low levels of Docosahexaenoic acid are associated with Alzheimer’s and depressive disorders.  Those findings indicate that the nutrient is necessary for the continued health of the brain, not just during early childhood or during fetal development.

What is DHA used for by food manufacturers?  Primarily, it is a food additive.  Until recently, the main use was to fortify infant formulas.  Breast milk is rich in Docosahexaenoic acid.  Cow’s milk and soy, the basis of infant formulas, do not provide the nutrient.

What is DHA used for in the treatment and prevention of diseases?  That is a relatively new field of study, although it began over two decades, ago.  Arthritis, heart disease, and depression are just a few of the conditions that may benefit from  supplementation.

Most cardiologists agree that the primary benefit is in the area of heart disease prevention.  Exactly how much is necessary to provide the benefit is still unclear.  But, most doctors recommend a minimum daily intake of Docosahexaenoic acid and Eicosapentaenoic acid combined.

What is DHA used for?  It’s used by the human body to grow and live.  It is a nutrient essential for good health and long life.

Laurel Cohen is a strong advocate of natural health in all its forms: skin care, supplementation, and farm fresh foods. She enjoys introducing people to the best natural products she can find and uses herself daily. Visit her site http://www.omega-3-for-health.com to learn about the omega 3 fish oils Laurel uses daily for optimal health.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/supplements-and-vitamins-articles/what-is-dha-used-for-in-supplements-1377164.html

Acai Berry Weight Loss

Acai Berry weight loss products have become extremely popular the world over in recent times. The Acai Berry grows in the Amazon Rain Forrest where the Brazilians have harvested it for centuries. It is dark purple in colour and is about the size of a small grape. This amazing little fruit contains a huge amount of antioxidants, fibre, amino acids and omega acids. The Acai Berry has been called a super food because it provides a wide and varied spectrum of health benefits.

So how do Acai Berry weight loss products work? Well, the fibre in the fruit helps to move food through your body in a more efficient manner and it also helps to make you feel satisfied, or full, after a meal. Amino acids aid your body in utilising the protein you ingest and protein helps your body to build and maintain muscle mass. If you have healthy muscles this will help you to burn fat more efficiently. The omega acids contained in the Acai berry will help to speed up your metabolism, which in turn will help you to burn fat more quickly than you would normally.

Apart from being a great aid to weight loss, the Acai Berry is known to have many other health benefits. Because of its’ high content of antioxidants it can help your body to combat the growth of cancer cells, promote healthy looking radiant skin, help to increase your energy levels and fight off fatigue as well as being very beneficial for your immune system.

Please visit Acai Berry for natural supplements to help you reach your weight loss goals.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/supplements-and-vitamins-articles/acai-berry-weight-loss-1372403.html