Let me tell you what a vitamin is and how useful they can be. A vitamin is an organic compound and these are essential to help your body grow and remain healthy. What this means, in simple terms, is that a vitamin is a natural chemical. Of the essential vitamins, there are thirteen major ones, the lack of any one of them can mean you are deficient in a certain vitamin.

Vitamins come in two distinct types, those soluble in fats and those soluble in water. Of the major vitamins, A, D, E and K are the ones soluble in fats and Vitamins B and Care water soluble. The water soluble vitamins are not stored by the body and so these need to be topped up regularly.

On the whole, if you have a normal well balanced diet this should provide your body with the vitamins it needs, but if your diet is not fully balanced then you may need to supplement the vitamins you receive in your diet. This shows that vitamin supplements can be useful. Some of the following may suggest if you may need help with your vitamin intake.

Vitamin B12 is found in meats so this is something vegetarians need to look out for. Vitamin C and B can be lacking in elderly people. People working on night shifts could have a lack of vitamin D as your body produces this during sunlight hours. Overworked people, people under pressure and people suffering from stress could be lacking in vitamin B and C. People on diets can also have a lack of these 2 vitamins. Vitamin B can be lacking in heavy drinkers and vitamin C deficiency can be a problem area for heavy smokers as well as heavy drinkers.

The usual way to get vitamins into your body is orally. Some vitamins can be taken by injection such as vitamin B12 but it is important that this is only carried out by a fully qualified medical practitioner. By taking vitamins orally they have to pass through your digestive system and the strong acids in your stomach can destroy much of the usefulness of the vitamins so you have to ensure you take the recommended dose, not more or less, but the recommended dose.

I hope I haven’t spoilt your views on vitamins but you must remember that even though you may have a healthy and well balanced diet, the natural processes of your body can destroy some of the value of the vitamins you absorb. If you want to help preserve their effectiveness than eating fresh foods and only cooking foods lightly will help increase the usefulness of the vitamins.

Vitamin supplements can be used to help boost any vitamin deficiencies you may have and extra vitamins are most easily obtained, (and used), in tablet form. Vitamin tablets can either be multi vitamins or single vitamin types. The decision as to what you take is up to you, unless of course you have been advised to take a vitamin supplement by your doctor. Vitamin C is often taken in the winter and the time leading up to it. This has been shown to help keep the common cold at bay.

You must only take vitamins to help supplement a well balanced diet and do not go overboard, so take vitamin supplements in moderation. Take only as much as you need and no more, and if your diet is as good as it should be, then you may not need any vitamin supplements. You must remember that they are, as the name suggests, supplements and they are not designed to replace a well balanced diet. Be sensible and use vitamin supplements carefully.

Ric Wiley is an established writer and Internet author. His latest advice site about health and especially vitamins can be found at www.first-for-health.com/vi.html

Vitamins are parts of enzymes you can’t live without, and your body can’t make. We take them for granted today, but vitamin deficiency diseases plagued our ancestors and took a long time to figure out.

Vitamin C is found in fruits and vegetables, and Scurvy, caused by lack of vitamin C for many weeks or months, wasn’t identified until people were separated from plants for long periods of time – and that first occurred when they built ships that could go on long voyages.

The crew of Magellan’s voyage around the world in 1519 got scurvy, and in 1600 a British report showed 10,000 sailors had died of scurvy in 20 years. In 1747, James Lind, the ship’s physician aboard the HMS Salisbury, conducted an experiment on 12 sick men. He divided them into six groups and fed them all the same diet, but gave each pair a different supplement: apple juice, sulfuric acid, vinegar, a mix of spices, sea water, or citrus fruits.

The two men given the oranges and lemon recovered immediately and were back at work in six days. The men who had apple juice improved, but not enough to work. None of the others got any better. Lind’s report led to lemon juice rations on long voyages – and sailors called “limeys.”

Without vitamin C you don’t make collagen, essential to connective tissue, so your gums bleed, teeth loosen, joints and muscles ache, and eventually you die. Any reasonable diet that includes fruits and vegetables gives you enough, so scurvy is rarely seen in North America today.

What about the Eskimos? Most animals, except humans, make their own vitamin C and it’s possible to get enough vitamin C to sustain you from fresh meat, especially liver. The word “eskimo” means raw flesh eaters.

Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at http://www.DrMirkin.com

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There are many advantages to eating fruit and vegetables raw. Water-soluble vitamins (such as vitamin C) are destroyed by heating, so there will be less vitamin C in a cooked carrot than in a similar raw carrot.

But for some nutrients, cooking (and juicing) is more nutritious, because it makes the nutrients more easily assimilated. Cooking and juicing breaks down tough fibres and allows the digestive juices to work more effectively on the vegetable. This is particularly important for someone who is elderly, ill or who has impaired digestion.

For example, research has shown that we absorb approximately 3-4% of carotenoids from raw carrots and 15-20% from cooked carrots. Carotenoids are plant pigments that give yellow, orange and red fruit and vegetables their colour. Carotenoids are powerful antioxidants, so have a role in helping us fight old age and cancer.

Juicing fruit and vegetables is an excellent way to combine the advantages of both raw and cooked. There are a lot of different juicers out there, so I decided to ask the experts at the Wholistic Research Company in the UK for more about juicing and juicers.

What are the benefits of a juicer over just eating fresh fruit and vegetables?

The use of fresh fruit and vegetable juices in both normal and therapeutic diets has long been established as a great aid to natural health, energy and well-being. The high mineral and nutrient content, combined with the vibrant life-energy of fresh fruits and vegetables, makes pure, fresh juice a wonderful part of a healthy person’s diet. In no other way can one consume the nutritional content of, for example, a pound or two of apples and carrots (in a glass) and then go on to eat a healthy breakfast.
Fresh juices are an invaluable supplement to any person’s diet. Indeed there are therapies that rely almost entirely on the power and nutrition available in juices to rid an ailing body of serious illness, even cancer. The body is stimulated by such concentrated goodness to throw off negative, pathological cellular deterioration and regain excellent health.

What are the advantages of a juicer over bought juice?

Making fresh juices from your own juicer provides you with the same live enzymes that are available in raw fresh fruit and vegetables. These fresh raw foods give us more energy and sparkle than cooked, ‘dead’ foods, and ‘dead’ juices that have been sitting in a container on the supermarket shelf for days, weeks or even months. This energy (from the freshly made juice) is concentrated, and you feel it as soon as you drink it. It can clear your head and make you feel light and energetic.

Juicers can vary dramatically in price, so what should you look for in buying a juicer?

In order to extract juice from fruits and vegetables, it is necessary first to break down the cell walls and fibres and then separate out the juice. Ideally, a top quality juicer should deliver a nutrient-rich juice on the one hand and a dry pulp of cell walls and fibres, on the other. There are basically two types of juicers: centrifugal juicers and masticating juicers.

So what is a centrifugal juicer?

This is an inexpensive juicer and is widely available. It merely grates fruits and vegetables, leaving strings of unbroken cells. The juice from the cells that have been broken is then spun out at very high speed (6,000 to 10,000 rpm). Because the juice is flung out, it mixes with the air and so oxidises (turns brown) quickly. The pulp usually remains very moist, because the process has not extracted all the juice. Not only is this more wasteful, but the juice is paler, more watery, lower in nutrient value and often quite insipid in flavour.

That doesn’t sound very appetising. Are masticating juicers any better?
Masticating juicers provide richer, more flavourful, nutritious juices. They are altogether more ‘serious’, although more expensive, but should be considered to be an investment in good health. They more thoroughly break up fruit or vegetables, and press out the juice from the resulting pulp inside a nose cone with a narrow opening.

This is far more efficient than centrifugal action. A good masticating juicer will extract up to five times more nutrients than centrifugal juicers.

Masticating juicers - like the popular American champion juicer - use a rugged cutter, spinning at 1425 rpm. This will juice whole carrots and quartered apples speedily and with ease.

There are also slower masticating juicers that use a single auger or twin gears, revolving at 80 to 160 rpm, to more gently crush smaller pieces of fruit and vegetables. They are especially useful for juicing tough fibrous greens and wheatgrass (a powerful healing natural tonic).

You can also juice wheatgrass with a manual masticating juicer. A good one can be relatively inexpensive to buy, and is similar to an old fashioned table-mounted mincer that is turned with a handle. Many masticating juicers will also make smoothies, purees, nut butters, pasta, baby foods and frozen fruit ice creams.

The price of a good juicer may seem quite high, but the quality of the juice produced, and the long life of the juicer, far outweigh the initial outlay when compared to the cheaper, far less efficient models on the market.

Jane Thurnell-Read is a writer and researcher on health, stress, alternative medicine, and happiness. Visit her web site http://www.healthandgoodness.com for tips and information on how to live a happier, healthier life no matter how busy you are.

Eat less fat. Eat more fat. Carbs are bad. Carbs are good-Nutrition advice changes so often, no wonder so many people are confused.

But when it comes it calories, the advice to consume fewer of them seems set in stone. After all, “a calorie is a calorie”, right?

Wrong.

For years, we’ve been told that if we “eat less and exercise more,” we’ll lose weight. That recommendation is based on the belief that we need burn more calories than we take in. But this doesn’t tell the whole story.

As it turns out, it isn’t the amount of calories you consume that really affects your weight and your health. It’s the type of calorie.

It’s true-the calories you eat are actually absorbed at different rates. And the different amounts of fiber, carbohydrates, protein, fat, and nutrients in these calories can have very different effects on your metabolism. There’s no difference between a thousand calories of kidney beans and a thousand calories of a low-fat muffin-until they’re metabolized.

As you can see, food isn’t just a source of energy-it’s a source of operating instructions for your body. Calories 101

So what is a calorie anyway? Simply put, a calorie is just a unit of energy. When we eat food, chemical processes that make up our metabolism break this food down and turn it into energy. Burning this energy lets us do what we need and want to do-from breathing to running a marathon. It’s like your car: You have to put fuel in it to make it run. For people, food is our fuel. Calories are what help us “run.”

The Dieting Myth

Just like high quality fuel is better for your car than the cheap stuff, some calories are better for our metabolism than others. That idea flies in the face of conventional diet wisdom, but it’s true-and science backs it up.

For example, recent studies show that high-carb diets can boost insulin and blood sugar levels. The result? Weight gain (not to mention high cholesterol and triglycerides). On the other hand, people who eat a healthy low-carb diet that’s rich in vegetables, whole grains, beans, and lean animal protein-but consume more calories than low-fat dieters-actually lose more weight!

As you can see, the kinds of calories you consume can have a big impact on weight gain, because different foods are metabolized in different ways. Food “talks” to your genes, giving your metabolism specific instructions-whether to lose weight or gain weight, speed up or slow down the aging process, increase or decrease your cholesterol level, and produce molecules that increase or decrease your appetite.

No wonder you can feel like you’re doing everything right and still not lose weight!

The Whole Truth

If you want to lose weight and be healthy, you have to send your body the right messages. That means living in harmony with your genes.

This means different things for different people. Depending on our genes, some of us may need more carbs, protein, or fat than others.

But there’s one basic principle that works of everyone: Base your diet on whole, unprocessed foods. Foods that are in their natural state talk to your genes the most effectively-and were designed by nature to keep you at a healthy weight.

You’ll find more details on whole foods and the Calorie Myth in my book, UltraMetabolism or on my website at http://www.ultrametabolism.com.

Copyright 2006 Mark Hyman MD

Mark Hyman, M.D. is a NY Times bestselling author, lecturer, and practicing physician. Discover how you can program your body to automatically lose weight and find out what special super fiber can help by grabbing an exclusive sneak preview of UltraMetabolism at http://www.ultrametabolism.com.

1. Fast food has a very high energy density. About 65 percent higher than a typical diet and twice as high as recommended healthy diets which makes us eat more than we otherwise would. Energy density refers to the amount of calories an item of food contains in relation to its weight. Foods with a high energy density confuse the brain’s control systems for appetite, which are based solely on portion size.

2. British researchers from the Medical Research Council Human Nutrition Center and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine have determined that repeated eating at McDonald’s or KFC or Burger King, people are more likely to gain weight and become obese. This is because fast food not only contains many more calories than traditional food, but also is more likely to undermine normal appetite control systems.

3. By eating a Big Mac and fries, the body consumes almost twice as many calories as you would if you ate the same weight of pasta and salad. Fast Food restaurants feed the obesity epidemic by getting people to eat many more calories than they need through persistent advertising.

4. McDonald’s, KFC, and Burger King menu items using nutritional data from the fast food restaurants’ Web sites, found that when we eat high energy density foods, we don’t reduce the portion size so we get a lot more calories than we need. Our current society possesses a weak innate ability to recognize foods with a high energy density. Food intake is assessed by the size of the portion, yet a fast food meal contains many more calories than a similar sized portion of a healthy meal. The conclusion is we are all being fooled into eating too much food.

5. People get fat eating regular portion sizes, but since the food has a high energy density, people gain weight. In evolutionary terms, the human appetite was designed for low energy density foods. In other parts of the world where these foods are still the dietary staples, obesity is virtually non existent. Our bodies were never designed to cope with the high energy dense foods consumed in the West. That is a major reason why fast food in contributing to the major rise in obesity.

6. Another fact is that fast food may speed up people’s risk of clogged arteries that can lead to heart attacks. Researchers at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in San Francisco have demonstrated that a certain type of fat, called oxidized fat, can accelerate the buildup of plaque in arteries. And many types of fast food such as hamburgers, pizza and French fries are loaded with oxidized fat. The conclusion is fast food meals are high in saturated fat and low quality carbohydrates, white bread and lots of soda. Our bodies require fiber and more healthful types of fats. Fast food represents a dietary pattern that is the opposite of what is recommended for a healthy body.

Glenn Freiboth is a Certified Health Advisor that lives in Naperville, Illinois and has helped many people lose weight. Medifast Weight Loss products and programs can be found at http://www.GetYouHealth.com

When it comes to food, we can’t ignore the facts - or the science. You need a healthy diet for a healthy life.

Research shows a healthy diet could help or prevent a number of health problems, including cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. And that number keeps growing as researchers learn more about how nutrition affects your health.

What You Should Know

Adopting a disease-fighting diet is easier than you think. When you shop, choose fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains, such as brown rice and whole-wheat bread. Avoid foods high in sugar and fat.

Here are some tips for arming yourself against disease with good-for-you foods:

Follow the Food Guide Pyramid

This guide tells you what foods to include in your diet each day and in what portions. It shows you how to have a balanced diet by eating foods from all the basic food groups:

• milk, yogurt and cheese (two to three servings; one cup of milk or yogurt would be one serving)

• meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts (two to three servings; one serving would be two eggs, ½ cup of tuna fish, or about ½ of a skinless, cooked chicken breast)

• fruit (two to four servings; one serving would be a medium-sized apple or banana, ½ cup of canned fruit, or ¼ cup of dried fruit)

• vegetable (three to five servings; one serving would be ½ cup of raw or cooked vegetables or one cup of raw, leafy vegetables, such as spinach or lettuce)

• bread, cereal, rice, and pasta (six to 11 servings; a slice of bread, ½ bagel or English muffin, or ½ cup of pasta would be a serving)

Think colour

When it comes to fruit and vegetables, eat lots of deep-coloured produce. Oranges and dark berries, like blueberries and cranberries, are especially rich in natural plant chemicals that can protect you against diseases like cancer and heart disease. Orange and dark green vegetables, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, and spinach are also rich in these plant chemicals.

Remember fibre

Eating lots of fruits and vegetables will give your body extra water and fibre, which will help keep your digestive tract clean and healthy. Beans, bran, whole-grain breads and brown rice, and high-fibre cereals are also good sources of fibre.

Make good bacteria your friend

Fermented foods like yogurt are especially good for you as you get older because they contain “good” bacteria that keep your digestive tract healthy. Check food labels for these bacteria.. The good bacteria in these foods also fight the bad bacteria that can enter your body through spoiled food and make you sick.

Eat fatty fish

Your body needs some fats to stay healthy, and the fats found in fish like salmon and tuna are good for your heart. Fish also provides a rich source of protein without the large amount of unhealthy fat you get from red meat.

Try soya

Eating about one to two ounces of soya protein daily can help lower cholesterol and unhealthy fat in your diet and protect you from heart disease. You can find many different soya products, which come from soyabeans, in your food store. The most popular are tofu, soya milk (in different flavours), soya burgers and hot dogs, soya ice cream, soya nut butter, and soya flour.

Drink plenty of water

To stay healthy, drink at least eight glasses of water daily. Pay special attention to drinking enough because your thirst decision dulls with age, and remember that if you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated.

Don’t abstain if you don’t have to

Beer and red wine, in moderation, are another rich source of plant chemicals. This means no more than one glass of beer or red wine a day for women, two for men.

Following a healthy diet, along with regular exercise, will prevent you from gaining weight, which is important for good health. Losing 10 percent of your body weight, for instance, could be enough to lower your cholesterol. Choose healthy foods for a longer and healthier life!

Don’t lose out, watch this space for regular updates!

About The Author

Jon Wickham is the owner of Mabels…Maintaining Bygone Times, containing numerous articles thoughtfully researched mainly for the older person. You may access these articles by visiting http://www.mabels.org.uk/ - You will learn about the best tips to improve your health, fitness, finances, safety as well as information on nostalgic topics, places to visit & leisure & lifestyle.

It is a common misconception that coconut oil is bad for you. People all over the world are experiencing the healthy benefits of using coconut oil. It is actually one of the healthiest oils you can consume. Here are the top seven reasons why you should use coconut oil as an alternative to other common cooking oils.

1. Coconut oil doesn’t turn to fat in your body.

Unlike many other common oils, like soy (vegetable) and corn, coconut oil won’t make you fat. Coconut oil contains medium-chain triglycerides (MCT), which are an easy fuel for the body to burn, without turning to fat. Most other cooking oils and fats contain long-chain triglycerides (LCT). LCT’s are usually stored as fat. Since coconut oil is a MCT, it is more easily absorbed and converted to energy quicker.

People in the tropics have relied on coconuts as a traditional staple in their diet for centuries. They consume large amounts of coconut oil every day. Instead of getting fatter, it helps them stay healthy, lean and trim. When they switch from coconut oil to our modern oils, they develop obesity and the health problems that our modern society faces.

Some other people who have known this truth for a long time are people who are in the animal feed business. When livestock are fed vegetable oils, they put on weight and produce more fatty meat. When they are fed coconut oil, they become very lean.

2. Coconut oil increases your metabolism.

Not only does coconut oil convert to energy quicker in your body, it increases your metabolism, which promotes weight loss. Because it boosts your metabolism, it helps your body burn fat more effectively.

Coconut oil may triple your calorie burn. Since coconut oil is a MCT, it is converted to energy so quickly that it creates a lot of heat. In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, MCT’s burn three times more calories for six hours after a meal than LCT’s.

The February 15, 2005 issue of Woman’s World magazine stated that coconut oil is the “underground high-metabolism secret.”

This is great news for people who have thyroid problems, since coconut oil improves sluggish thyroids by stimulating the production of extra thyroid hormones. Most other common oils, like vegetable (soy) and corn have been shown to inhibit thyroid function.

3. Coconut oil has omega 3 fatty acids.

Most cooking oils contain omega 6 fatty acids, something we get way too much of in the United States. Our omega 6 to omega 3 ratio should be 1:1 but it is more like 50:1. We need to drastically cut back our omega 6 oils and consume much more omega 3 oils to be healthy. And coconut oil is filled with these healthy omega 3 fatty acids.

4. Coconut oil gives you energy.

Because of the healthy omega 3 fatty acids and the fact that it increases the metabolism, most people that switch to coconut oil feel a burst of added energy in their daily life.

This is because coconut oil is nature’s richest source of medium-chain triglycerides (MCT’s), which increase metabolic rates and lead to weight loss. MCT’s promote thermogenesis, which increases the body’s metabolism, producing energy.

Many people with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia have found that adding coconut and coconut oil to their diet was helpful to them, too.

5. One of the best things you can use on your skin and hair is coconut oil.

Coconut oil one of the best things you can apply directly on your skin and hair. It gives temporary relief to skin problems like rashes. It aids in healing and restoring skin to a younger appearance. It has also been known to help with people who suffer from yeast infections in the skin, as well as many other skin problems.

Not only does is soften and smooth your skin, coconut oil has antioxidant properties that protect the skin from free radical damage. Coconut oil makes excellent massage oil too.

6. Coconut oil has healthy benefits that most other oils do not.

Evidence is mounting that coconut oil has anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-viral effects when both consumed and used topically on the skin.

Most oils oxidize and turn rancid very quickly causing free radical damage in our bodies. Coconut oil is not easily oxidized and does not cause harmful free radical damage like polyunsaturated vegetable oils. Free radical damage is thought to be responsible for many ailments in our body from arthritis to increased susceptibility to cancers.

Coconut oil also helps our bodies absorb other nutrients more effectively, such as Vitamin E.

7. Coconut oil is one of the best oils you can use for cooking.

It has a higher smoke point than olive oil, which means it can take higher temperatures better. There are several healthy omega 3 oils we can choose to consume, such as flax and olive oil, but they don’t do well under the high heat we use for cooking. Coconut oil can be used in higher cooking temperatures.

It is harder for coconut oil to go rancid, unlike other cooking oils, which are usually rancid long before you even bring them home. Rancid oils cause free radical damage in the body, which is a leading cause of cancer. Coconut oil is stable for over a year at room temperature.

Because of the misinformation we have been given for years, we have lost out on the healthy benefits that coconut oil has given the people of the tropics for centuries. But now it has been rediscovered! Coconut oil is so effective, it won’t be long before we see coconut oil supplements promoted, but you can get the jump on the popular crowd and start consuming and cooking with coconut oil today!

With all these healthy benefits, isn’t it time you gave coconut oil a try? For more free
information about coconut oil, check out the website at http://Coconut-Oil-Diet.com.

By Dianne Ronnow © 2006 Mohave Publishing. All rights reserved. http://
mohavepublishing.com.

Dianne’s best selling book, “Coconut Oil Diet Secrets” reveals how thousands of
people are losing weight and getting healthier with coconut oil diets. For a limited
time, we are offering this ebook FREE at http://Coconut-Oil-Diet.com. Check out
the site now and start losing weight today!

This article may be freely copied as long as it is not modified and this resource box
accompanies the article, together with working hyperlinks.

The first commercial canning factory was established in England in 1813. It was pioneered by a French man by the name of Nicholas Appert in the 18th century. The raw food is packed into a can which is then cooked at high temperature and pressure to get rid of all bacterial spores and fungi so that the food is commercially sterilized. This enables canned food to be shelf stable over a long period. The high temperature kills all bacterial spores but unfortunately it also destroys the texture, natural taste, color and the nutritional values of the food.

Canned food has always been meant for emergencies and convenience and is always perceived as low quality. In the early 1960s, an improvement called the “retort pouches” was introduced in the market. Instead of metallic cans, special plastic laminates are used to hold food products. However, the cooking process for retort pouches is still the same as for cans which results in the same over-processed food products.

Recently there was an invention where there is a modified retort process where the food is not subject to the same high temperature and pressure as in canning process. They are able to cook and preserve almost all types of food products in retort pouches and retort trays without sacrificing quality. Food that is processed according to this technique keep its organoleptic qualities and it tastes close to freshly cooked meals. This modified process won three major awards in Australia in year 2002 and 2003. Today United Kingdom imports 40,000 bags of lamb shank per week from Australia.

In 2003, the largest rice cooperative in Australia, took up a processing license for the technology to produce pre-cooked rice of different flavors for the Australian market. Having ready-meals in the house which are good in quality in terms of nutrition, taste and value for money would be a trend to come and will catch on in the 21st century. When the kids moved out, many elderly people would probably live in apartments with a small kitchen. They will eat out more often and would probably have lost the desire to cook meals. Many live alone and may not find it easy to go out for their daily meals. By just pressing the button on the microwave, food can be served like freshly cooked.

The young generation and those in their mid-20’s to mid-40’s are occupying middle to senior level management positions and spend more time in office than in the kitchen. Many apartments are designed without a kitchen but are replaced by just a microwave oven for reheating. The women of this generation are more assertive and ambitious than their mothers and demand equal rights with men. Many do not know how to cook a good meal. Divorce rates soar and marriage is delayed or even put off altogether and there are many single mothers. Living together without marriage is a norm and same sex couples are rife. This generation would have forgotten how to cook or had not been taught how to cook.

Those born in the late 20th century can be classified the internet generation and is one of the most medicated generations in history with many prescribed anti-depressants and other behavior-altering drugs. Childhood obesity is another health problem due to the proliferation of “junk food” and reduced physical activities except for their movements of their fingers due to computer games, iPod, text messages etc. This generation does not eat proper meals but grew up snacking and this is especially so in the newly developed and developing Asian countries. Fast food outlets are packed with children taking along their parents to have meals there. Just look at the intense advertisements capturing the hearts of the children unlike in the past, the meals were very natural, home-cooked.

With the invention where ready meal products can still maintain its highly nutritious low fat, low sugar, low salt, no artificial additives and yet taste good, they are bound to capture the market and give convenience to millions of people in the modern world. Wide range of varieties can be found even in the frozen food under the vegetarian section. If vegetarian food is processed in the same manner, then it will give convenience to millions of vegetarians worldwide as well as those health conscious people who seldom take meat. White Sun is studying this possibility to provide nutritious vegetarian food using the modified retort process without sacrificing quality.

Man by nature is composed of physical body and mind. The organic body which is of material form needs to rely on material things such as food to nourish its growth whereas the mind requires a serene order in order to live. Confucius said, “The object of the superior man is Truth. Food is not his object.” After the three inches down the throat, there is no more taste but man by nature craves for good taste. In order to encourage vegetarianism, we still have to ensure good taste and nutrition intact without preservative as in the modified retort process to serve as vegetarian fast food.

A vegetarian diet, with its emphasis on pulses, legs of mushrooms and grains to provide essential vitamins, is regarded by many medical experts as much healthier. Medical evidence from around the world suggests that diets rich in animal fats lead to heart disease and cancer. It is also encouraging to note that vegetarians have significantly lower incidences of cancers of the lung, breast, rectum and colon because the diet of a vegetarian is usually higher in fiber.

Dr William Bruce, a researcher at the Ontario Cancer Institute at Toronto’s Princess Margaret Hospital found that people who cut their animal fat intake from 150 mg a day to 50 mg a day (in essence, decreasing their meat consumption) could reduce the presence of detectable cancer-causing (N-nitroso) compounds by 50%. In addition, the addition of bran to the diet and a daily intake of 2 gm of vitamin C per day were also found to reduce the presence of cancer-causing compounds. Vegetarian fast food definitely will help the same at the same time cutting off the bad karma between human and animal.

Author: T.A Chew

T.A Chew has the opportunity to team up with the awards winning inventor of the modified retort process to produce shelf stable vegetarian food products without the need of refrigeration but yet able to retain its freshness without preservatives. It is with great hope that the venture will take off to a good start to give convenience to vegetarians worldwide soon. Website: http://www.white-sun.com

We all know that vitamin C is one of the most popular health supplements which acts as a stimulant for the immune system of our body. Recent research has revealed that vitamin C could play a part in cancer prevention.

Food Sources

Some of the sources of vitamin c are cabbage, cauliflower, guava, kiwi, papaya and strawberries.

Who Needs Extra Vitamin C?

Although all of us need vitamin c there are others who need it more than us. Who are they?

1. Elderly Folks

As one grows older the ability to absorb vitamin c also decreases.

2. Smokers

Smoking not only harms the lungs but it also depletes vitamin C from the body.

3. Undergoing Surgery

If you are undergoing surgery you would need an increased dose of vitamin C as your body would need it to recover.

How it helps in preventing cancer?

Vitamin C neutralises the free radicals and thus reduces the chance of cancer cells from developing. Those who eat vitamin C regularly have shown to be at a lower risk level in getting cancer.

About The Author

Anusuya Veth is the editor of Wow Mag & Celebrity Jam. She is also the author of the ebk ‘Cupid Traps’. She has written for health, IT, entertainment & lifestyle portals around the globe. You can read her articles at http://www.geocities.com/wow_mag/

wow_mag@yahoo.com

People with sleeping problems cannot be able to start their day well. They
suffer from a very stressful mood because of not getting good sleep.
Usually, you can see them in grouchy faces and sagging eye bags. You cannot
easily approach them because they are surely hot tempered.

Is there a remedy for insomnia? Good for you because there is. Melatonin
comes to its way, at present this is the best remedy found out by doctors
for persons who have difficulty in sleeping.

Melatonin is considered as one of the most used dietary supplements
particularly in fighting against sleeping problems. People are guaranteed
because of its effectiveness. Although there are some controversies arising
about melatonin against other over the counter drugs, people still take it.

It is advisable that if you are planning to intake melatonin you have to
secure your doctor’s permission first to take some precautionary measures if
it is good for you or not.

Melatonin is a hormone that naturally occurs from the body.

Secretion takes place through a tiny pea-sized organ that can be found at
the center of the brain that refers to a pineal gland. Its release is
controlled by the body’s circadian rhythm, which is considered the body’s
time keeping system, and it works for 24 hours a day. It is responsible in
taking control of your system when you fall asleep and when you start to
wake up.

The production of the melatonin in your body is generated when darkness
falls and starts to hold back by the return of the daylight. The making of
melatonin in a person’s body tends to become slower when they reach the age
of forty. This makes the young individuals sleep earlier than the adult
ones.

Melatonin is usually regarded as nature’s own sleeping pill. It already
cured not only hundreds but also even thousands of people suffering from
insomnia. Although insomnia can be treated through some of the natural
remedies but they are still depending on the effect of melatonin.

Study shows that melatonin has come to its existence four decades ago. These
can be found in various species that is why researchers believe that its
origin starts from the moment that man were born.

There is an arising query whether melatonin as a dietary supplement is to be
regarded either natural or synthetic. There is an explanation for these
according thorough studies about melatonin.

They have isolated the hormone melatonin so there was a production of both
the natural and synthetic melatonin.

The natural melatonin is produced from the extract of the so-called pineal
glands of animals. The most common extraction comes from the sheep but it
does not grantee that it is of a better quality and effect than with the
other animals. There are cases that prove impurities on some of its
contents that lead to taking off to some supplements in the market.

On the other hand, the synthetic melatonin is usually produced technically.
It undergoes some of the laboratory control processes. The measurement
should be exact. If it should contain 2 mg. of the melatonin then it should
be because if not, there could be deficiency on the effectiveness.

The synthetic and the natural melatonin are greatly distinct from each other. However, the manufacturers of both ensure the people that the
possibility of contamination is greatly reduced.

As of now, there are already melatonin tablets that can be buy in the
drugstores. It offers numerous benefits to the people. In every tablet that
you take, you are secured of nutritional supplement that your body needs.

Sometimes, the melatonin tablet is already combined with botanical extracts
that will add for its more effective result. The person can also benefit
with the long-lasting calming effect that will produce a good sleeping
habit.

Melatonin are also available in varieties of flavours, one is the peppermint
flavour. However, you do not have to worry about its effect because it will
just be the same. Flavourings are just added to enhance your taste.

Aside from combating your sleeping problem, you can also take melanin as a
supplement for maintaining a balance diet.

http://www.for-your-vitamins.com/Melatonin.html