Get Your Vitamins Naturally When Possible

There’s no doubt that there are times when supplemental vitamins are a good idea, but the best way to get your daily requirements of all vitamins is to consume them naturally. The problem is that most people don’t eat enough of the right foods to get all the vitamins needed to keep your body healthy.

One of the strikes against getting the right vitamins through diet alone is time. It simply takes time to stop for breakfast, lunch and even dinner. Another is the sheer availability of fast food. Most people are filled with the need to grab something to eat on the go.

Arguably the biggest strike against eating right is simply habit. We tend to grab a package of chips instead of an apple or banana for a mid-morning snack. A donut and coffee could easily be replaced by a muffin and fruit juice or milk, but we tend to crave those less healthy foods. Take a minute to consider some sources of vitamins that could easily be part of your daily food intake. You may be surprised at easy a few substitutions could be.

• Orange or apple juice instead of one soda a day. You’ll be surprised at how quickly you develop a taste for the juice. With this one change, you’re greatly increasing your intake of Vitamin C, needed to keep your immune system healthy. Not only that, apple juice provides a pick-me-up very similar to the caffeine rush some people look for.
• Bake it, broil it or eat it raw. We tend to fry so many foods – including the popular potato. Instead of French Fries at your next meal, choose a tossed salad or baked potato. Unless counting calories is an issue, slather on the dressing or sour cream to make it more appealing. The bottom line is that baked or raw veggies are generally higher in vitamins than their fried counterparts.
• Breakfast cereals are often fortified with vitamins – even those “good” cereals. Choose foods fortified with vitamins instead of those “empty” calories to help get the vitamins you need to keep you going throughout the day. Manufacturers are meeting the demands for “food-to-go” with cereal bars and other nutritious foods that are rich in vitamins.

At the end of the day, most people simply don’t eat right. If you measure the intake of vitamins over the course of a typical day, you’ll probably find that you’re not getting all the vitamins you need. When that’s the case, find good vitamins in the form of tablets, chews or other supplements as the next step.

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Benefits of Goji juice

Modernization is wonderful, but there are also other factors in the modern life we live in that may subject our bodies to harm. Understanding what can harm us and what will help us will be our best defense.

Free radicals, our body’s natural enemy subject our body to more than 10,000 hits during a normal day. If our body is not able to combat the harmful effect of free radicals, then it may give us disease and pre-maturely age our body including our skin.

The pristine valleys of Tibet and Mongolia have a solution to this problem.

What do you think is their secret?

Introducing goji juice, made from goji berries grown in the remote and unpolluted hills and valleys of Tibet and Mongolia. Experts who want to save the people who live in this modern society studied what must be wonderful about these Himalayan diets and why do they live so long and free from diseases. Their studies prove that their diet perpetually include goji berries.

Further studies on goji berries prove that they are nutritious and contain vital nutrients necessary to combat free radicals.

Goji juice contains potent vitamins, and minerals like no other berry.

Goji juice also contains 18 amino acids, 8 of which are essential for our bodies, but having all 18 adds to the beneficial characteristic of this wonderful red juice.

Based on studies by numerous health professionals including Dr. Earl Mindell, the author of The Vitamin Bible, goji juice made from goji berries can give your body all the nutrients it needs to help keep a healthy and happy life.

Goji juice aside from the 18 amino acids also has 21 trace minerals, vitamins B1, B2, B6 and Vitamin E. All of these can help give you healthy and active life.

Some of the beneficial effects of drinking goji juice are:

Energy and Strength – goji juice is considered as an adaptogen. It increases exercise tolerance, stamina and endurance. Goji juice may also enhance the recovery of ill patients.

Cholesterol level balance – goji juice may also help manage your cholesterol level because it contains beta-sitosterol, which can help in your cholesterol level balance. It will also help avoid cholesterol deposit in the blood vessels, thus heart problems may be eliminated.

Normal Kidney Function – your kidney is the vital organ that may possibly control the brain and other organs in the body. It is thus essential for better health that you keep your kidneys functioning properly. Goji juice is believed to be helpful in keeping this essential organ functioning properly.

Supports General Health – as mentioned earlier, free radicals harm our body in many ways. Thus, eliminating this natural enemy will help keep our body strong and avoid illnesses. Goji juice is a potent antioxidant that may keep our body healthy.

Other beneficial factors which may come from goji juice are enhanced sexual function, blood sugar level balance and vision problems.

This is because goji juice contains more beta-carotene even compared to a carrot. The vitamin C contents of goji juice, which is 500 times more in weight than orange, will help keep the immune system functioning properly to avoid illness.

These are only a few of the helpful and beneficial functions of goji juice and because goji juice is safe even for children.

If drinking this sweet and tasty juice excites you well enough, you can also eat goji berries with your food. You can eat them fresh or the dried goji berries are also available. You may use your imagination as to how you can enjoy these wonderful and amazing berries.

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The Truth About Herbs

Have you taken echinacea to stay healthy through the winter, ginseng for more energy or valerian to ensure restful sleep? If so, you're not alone. According to the Office of Dietary Supplements, more than 38 million Americans take herbal supplements. With more Americans using herbs to improve their health, it's important to know how to choose and use them safely.

"Herbs may play an important role in overall health and well-being, but many people are still learning what works and what should stay on the shelf," said registered dietitian Lynn Laboranti, M.S. "Consumers should do their homework and talk to their doctor about what herbs are right for them."

What do you know about herbs? To test your herbal IQ, Laboranti poses the following questions:

Q: Can echinacea boost immunity?

A: Several scientific studies have shown echinacea to be an effective, natural way to boost immunity. When taken at the first sign of not feeling well, echinacea helps stimulate the body's natural defense system. Echinacea should not be taken for more than eight weeks at a time.

Q: What does St. John's wort do?

A: Clinical and laboratory research has earned St. John's wort a growing reputation as an herb that helps enhance mood. It has few side effects, but may cause light sensitivity and decrease the effectiveness of some prescription medications. It's important to talk to a health care professional before using St. John's wort or other herbal supplements if you take prescription drugs.

Q: Does soy relieve menopause symptoms?

A: Soy contains naturally occurring isoflavones, which have been shown to help relieve menopause-related hot flashes and night sweats. Soy foods and soy isoflavones also help support hormonal balance in women during the menopausal years. Experts recommend 30 to 65 mg of soy isoflavones (5-8 ounces of soy milk or 1 to 2 soy tablets) daily to receive a full benefit.

If you choose to take herbs in tablet form, Laboranti recommends reading a product's label for additional safety and dosage information. Nature's Resource herbal supplements, found at drugstores like CVS and Walgreens, feature an extended, multipage safety label on the bottle. The booklet, called "Herbal ABCs," contains extensive information on the specific supplement, drug/herb interactions, contraindications, adverse effects, allergy warnings and special safety instructions.

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Crack Open a Miracle

Crack open an egg and you find a wealth of nutrients. Because eggs contain a wide variety of nutrients compared to their calorie count (75 per Large egg), they're called nutrient dense. Eating nutrient-dense foods helps us satisfy our nutrient needs without excess calories. The nutrient density benefit of eggs is especially important for older adults and anyone who is overweight.

Eggs are best known as a high-quality protein source. The protein in eggs contains all the essential amino acids, the building blocks of protein. Eggs are also a good source of the B vitamin riboflavin and contain varying amounts of a number of other nutrients, including vitamins A, B12 , D and E and folate and the mineral iron. Scientists have only just begun to learn about the importance of some egg nutrients, such as choline, lutein and zeaxanthin.

Choline is now thought to be vital in the development of fetal brain and memory functions. A lack of sufficient choline during pregnancy can cause defective memory or lower memory capabilities that last throughout life. Choline is essential for normal functioning of all cells and assures the structural development and signaling functions of cell membranes. Some studies suggest that choline may also improve both verbal and visual memory capacity later in life. Research shows that choline may help prevent heart disease, fatty liver and neural tube defects, too. A single Large egg yolk is a significant source of choline, providing 125 mg, at least 25% of our daily needs.

Lutein and zeaxanthin are two yellow-orange plant pigments called carotenoids that have been shown to help prevent cataracts and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in people 65 and older. Lutein and zeaxanthin accumulate in the eye lens and macular region of the retina. Scientists believe these carotenoids may protect the eye from damage due to oxidation. Studies have shown that generous intakes of these antioxidants are associated with up to 20% less cataract risk and up to 40% less AMD risk. One study also suggests that lutein may help reduce the risk of heart disease.

Some foods, such as dark green leafy vegetables, contain more lutein and zeaxanthin than egg yolks (150 to 250 mcg lutein and about 213 mcg zeaxanthin per Large egg yolk, depending on the hen's diet). But, because egg yolks contain fat, research indicates that the human body absorbs the lutein and zeaxanthin from egg yolks more easily than it absorbs the lutein and zeaxanthin from other sources.

Altogether, when you choose eggs as a high-quality protein source, you get a bonus of many other needed nutrients, from vitamin A through choline, lutein and zeaxanthin. But, beyond their good nutrition, eggs are also economical and quick and easy to prepare in a host of different ways. That's pretty much a miracle!

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Let’s Listen to Bill Clinton’s Advice on Modern Biotechnology

Since he left office, former U.S. President, Bill Clinton, has dedicated almost all his life championing the cause of the poor, here in America and abroad.


From winning concessions for cheaper drugs from multinational pharmaceutical companies to manage HIV/AIDS - the No. 1 killer disease in poor countries - to fundraising in aid of victims of Hurricane Katrina and Tsunami earthquake, President Clinton has joined the league of men and women who always nurse the dream of a world without hunger and diseases.

Last week, President Clinton continued his efforts when he advised delegates at the BIO 2006 Convention in Chicago to fight the culture of fear that seems to dominate the debate about modern biotechnology.

“We should be driven by science, evidence and argument, not by assertion and fear.”

President Clinton, a staunch supporter of genetic engineering during his presidency (and even now), reminded the delegates that “…everything we do to build a world that will be fit for our children and grand children will depend upon continued advances in biotechnology.”

Modern biotechnology, as President Clinton puts it, is a technology that can’t just be wished away by misrepresenting facts, a practice those opposed to this technology have perfected to an art.

Opponents of modern biotechnology and especially genetically engineered foods have taken it upon themselves to mislead and misrepresent. Such behavior only derails the drive to guarantee every man and woman in this world food.

Perhaps, nobody better understands the plight of the world’s poor than President Clinton. He’s a relentless globe trotter and has an eye-witness account of the sufferings of millions of hungry and malnourished children in Africa and Asia. All, then, should heed his advice that modern biotechnology holds the key to sustainable development .

President Clinton’s endorsement of modern biotechnology as a tool to enhance global food security must be taken very seriously.

The world must learn to take the facts as it finds them and keep trying to move humanity forward.

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