Sulfur
Sulfur is present in every cell of the body, and is especially concentrated in the skin, nails, and hair. Most sulfur in the body is obtained as part of the protein intake, as it...
Category: Supplements and Vitamins
Iodine
Sea vegetation, blue-green and green algae, and freshwater algae offer some of the best sources of iodine, which is also found in fruits, vegetables, and sprouted cereals. The amount of iodine in land vegetables...
Fluoride
Although a lack of fluoride can lead to childhood tooth decay, too much either in the diet or from other sources, such as swallowed toothpaste, tea, and fluoridated tap water, can cause fluorosis with...
Copper
A component of several enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase, which helps protect against free radical damage, copper is vital in forming connective tissue, which supports and separates organs and is found in tendons, bone,...
Chromium
An adequate supply of chromium is particularly important in diabetic’s diet as a vital link in the chain that makes glucose available to the body. Chromium increases the effectiveness of insulin by stimulating glucose...
Aluminum
Although most minerals pose little threat to health, aluminum may be an important exception. Trace amounts of the mineral are found in all living organisms. However, scientists are still not sure about its biological...
Trace Minerals You Need
Similar to the better-known macro-minerals, these micro- or trace minerals are stored primarily in your bone or muscle tissue. Even though we need these trace elements in much smaller doses, they still play crucial...
Phosphorus
Phosphorus compounds (phosphates) are major constituents in the tissues of all plant and animal cells. As much as 80 percent of the body’s phosphorus is found in our bones and teeth. The process of...
Minerals – Calcium
Calcium is responsible for the construction, formation, and maintenance of bone and teeth. This function helps reduce the occurrence of osteoporosis. It is also a vital component in blood clotting systems and wound healing,...
What is the difference between “organic” plant-based minerals and “non-organic” minerals?
Organic minerals are those derived from plant-based foods such as vegetables and botanicals. Organic minerals are received by consuming plant food. Their root systems convert rock-solid non-organic minerals into useable organic ones. The word...
Vitamin A
Beta-carotene is a vitamin A precursor, which the body uses to create complete vitamin A. Carrots, sunflower sprouts, red peppers, mangos, cantaloupes, cabbage, broccoli sprouts, as well as green leafy vegetables such as spinach...
Your Body’s Four Vitamin Musketeers
“All for one and one for all” might well be a theme for your body’s four Vitamin Musketeers – A, D, E, and K – because these nutrients are intertwined with our consumption of...
Don’t Abandon All Fats
Even though you hear a lot of bad things about fat, it is a necessary nutrient when consumed in the right amounts. Fat helps supply energy for aerobic exercise in the form of fatty...
Beware of Hidden Trans Fat
Just because something is listed as having 0 percent trans fat, doesn’t necessarily mean that it is completely trans-fat free. In terms of labeling, it’s important to note that trans fat may not be...
Burn Those Calories
Your body is working all the time: pumping blood, processing food, even thinking. The body’s unit of measurement for the amount of work it’s doing is the calorie. When you sit and think, you...
Understand Your Body’s Need for Exercise
Regular physical activity helps keep your muscles toned and strong, maintains bone strength and density, and improves and maintains your heart and lung functions. Exercise also builds stamina, improves flexibility, boosts your immune system,...
Understand the Two Primary Processes of Metabolism
Most of the food you eat is digested and then converted into energy through the process of metabolism. This process, experts day, involves a complex network of hormones and enzymes that not only convert...
Understand the Three Components for Metabolism
The term metabolism refers to the way your body processes and utilizes the food you eat, not to the amount of time required to do so. In other words, it’s not how fast you...
Prozac from the Sea
Fatty fish is the best dietary source of DHA and EPA. Ounce for ounce, you get the biggest omega-3 bang for your buck with salmon, herring, lake trout, anchovies and sardines. Other seafood is...
DHA for kids
DHA isn’t just a fee-good nutrient for grown-ups. It is critical for brain and vision development in babies and children, too. Babies born to moms who consume ample DHA during their pregnancies and while...
Avoiding Alzheimer’s
One of the contributing factors in Alzheimer’s is the accumulation of nerve tangles, called amyloid plague, in the brain. Preliminary research shows that DHA might help prevent these tangles by up to 40%. DHA...
Why Your Memory Loves DHA
The more than one milling Americans who slip into mild memory loss and the half a million who develop more serious dementias each year would do well to consider cutting way back on artery-clogging...
The Natural High
The more of the omega-3 fat DHA you eat, the more it is incorporated into brain cells, the more flexible your brain cell membranes become, the and the better you think, the more you...
Gimme My Antioxidants
The good news is, your body has an anti-free radical system, called antioxidants, that prevents oxidants from damaging cells. Antioxidants also help keep the heart beating strong and protect the tiny blood vessels that...
What Do Free Radicals Have to Do with You?
Free radicals are oxygen fragments inhaled in air pollution and tobacco smoke, consumed in fatty foods and generated in the body during normal metabolic processes. Left unchecked, these oxygen fragments, or oxidants, attach cell...
The Big Seven for Weight Loss
The top seven most important habits of successful dieting include Get eight hours of sleep every night. Eat breakfast! Walk briskly for at least 60 minutes a day. Write down what you eat. Weigh...
Happiness in a Pill
All of these supplements can help improve mood and are relatively safe when taken in the recommended doses. But don’t get carried away. You can’t cover your bases with a pill, so don’t leave...
Ironclad Rules
The best plan to avoid iron deficiency is prevention, but women must get much more aggressive about their iron intakes, since currently most of us average only about half our daily needs. Premenopausal women...
Iron Up, Ladies
If you are a woman who feel down in the dumps or downright depressed much of the time, or if your energy level has taken a nosedive, rather than reach for another cup of...
Folic Acid: Nature’s Blues Buster
As many as one in every three Americans doesn’t get enough folic acid, the B vitamin important in making sure your brain cells multiply correctly, in boosting levels of the brain-building omega-3 fat DHA...