 |
Food for Thought |
|
What Is A Vitamin? If you ask someone if they know exactly what a vitamin is, chances are they will look at you with a puzzled expression and admit they don't know. Vitamins are organic substances found in food. They are necessary for life, for without them the body cannot survive. Even though each vitamin has its own job in supporting life, vitamins also work together as a team. Vitamins can be duplicated synthetically in laboratories. However, these often prove toxic or unusable to the body. Vitamins found naturally in food contain other natural compounds that synergistically help the vitamin do its job more easily and efficiently Vitamins come in two forms: water-soluble or fat-soluble. The body cannot store water-soluble vitamins (such as Vitamins C and B); thus, these vitamins have to be supplied constantly to make them available for the body to use. Fat-soluble vitamins ( such as A, D, E, K) can be stored in our liver and fat tissues for awhile. However, taking too many fat-soluble vitamins can cause them to build up and become toxic to the body. Although most vitamins are needed in relatively small amounts, a deficiency in even one vitamin can create imbalances and problems that lead to illness or the body's inability to repair and maintain itself. The more building blocks a body has on hand when it needs them, the better it handles stress and rebuilds tissues. The Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA) of vitamins does not account for people who are eating processed foods, pregnant, lactating, engaging in intense physical activity, taking drugs or oral contraceptives, dieting, smoking (or exposed to second-hand smoke), consuming alcohol, in high stress occupations, or going through life challenges. A good, healthy practice is to take a high-quality multi-vitamin mineral supplement that is made from whole foods everyday.
Relax! Health Authorities say that meditation, massage, bodywork, vacation and other "down time" activities are proving to be as important in creating good health as eating right and exercising. Stress has been linked to every known disease condition, including allergies. It is now believed that every allergy or sensitivity you develop is connected to a stress incident. Stress is the main factor in whether or not you succumb to the family diseases or the latest flu. Disease usually onsets 9 months to a year after an emotional trauma. Emotional stress has skyrocked at home and in the work place since the Sept 11th world incident. Even little things - driving, noise pollution, shopping in a crowd, dealing with children - can overload an unhealthy nervous system and put the whole body out of whack. What happens to a machine when you put too much electricity into it? It blows, crashes and burns. So it is with the bio-machine we make our home within. Good self-care requires personal strategies to clear and eliminate stress as well as simplify life. Regular stress reduction practices may be a deciding factor whether or not disease makes a home in your body.
|
