Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Nutritional Health Supplements – Calcium

Osteoporosis Isn't Chosen Intentionally.

Osteoporosis is a condition commonly found in middle aged women or elderly men, where the bone mass decreases. Osteoporosis is a condition where your bone cell turn over rate is so quick that an aging body can not produce enough new bone cells to keep the bones thick. While osteoporosis is often thought of as an older person's disease, it can strike at any age and is called a "Silent Enemy," because you may not find out you have it until something bad happens to you. Osteoporosis is not really a disease, but rather a risk factor for broken bones.

Women seem to be at greater risk of developing osteoporosis because of the changes that occur during menopause. For women bone loss usually begins at around age 30 and proceeds slowly and continuously to menopause. Once seen mainly as a risk to women, weak bones afflict men, too -- even elite athletes. We can lose up to120mg of calcium during every hour of exercise. Pregnant women are usually advised to take nutritional health supplements to prevent deficiencies in the mother and/or baby.

Bones are like a muscle and if you don't put stress on them they deteriorate. What people do in their 20s, 30s and 40s can shore up a strong skeleton or start a silent erosion, leading to brittle bones that can shatter in old age. Physical activity that puts some form of strain or stress on bones causes the bones to retain and possibly even gain density throughout its life.

To help this condition diets rich in green vegetables (preferably raw), lots of fruits, lots of raw nuts (Brazil nuts are KEY), and whole grains will provide you with the nutrients you need. Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, collards, kale, mustard greens, turnip greens, and others are loaded with highly absorbable calcium and a host of other important nutrients. A person should eat a couple of meals with foods that have a lot of Calcium and Vitamin D in them. Unfortunately the Western diet, which is high in saturated fats, salts, animal proteins, and processed sugars doesn't promote a healthy life.

While a perfect diet could take care of the necessary vitamins and minerals, in today's hustle and bustle world we more than ever need to take nutritional health supplements. A lot of people think that by taking just a calcium supplement they'll have their bases covered.

You need more than just calcium to build strong bones. You also need additional nutrients including vitamins D & K, magnesium, and more to build and maintain strong bones. Keep in mind that supplementation is just that; use it to enhance your diet not as a substitute for good food sources.

The best way to prevent osteoporosis is to avoid smoking, avoid drinking alcohol, get lots of exercise, eat a good diet low in sugars and fat and add high quality nutritional health supplements to your diet.

Shaklee Online Distributor
Website: http://BestNutritionalHealthSupplements.com
Contact: David Duncan
Phone: 1-800-414-2864

Monday, August 18, 2008

Nutritional Health Supplements – Protein in Its Many Disguises

Shaklee Online Distributor
David Duncan

Protein is composed of smaller units called amino acids. Our bodies can't manufacture the nine essential amino acids, so it's important to include them in our diets. Protein is an extremely important nutrient whether your goal is to lose fat, gain muscle or just tone yourself up. It is the main structural nutrient in your body, making up the bulk of your muscles and organs. Protein is the main component of our muscles, organs, and the glands of the immune system. Every living cell in our body contains protein; and all body fluids, except urine and bile, contain protein.

Protein – Milk, Animal or Plant

Milk contains protein but it can cause reactions in folks that are intolerant to lactose, this can include vomiting, rhinitis and coughing symptoms, diarrhea, hives, difficulty in breathing, intestinal symptoms and, in the worst case, an anaphylactic shock. Milk comes with enzymes which help the body digest the milk. Pasteurization kills all of these enzymes.

Egg white protein contains all of the essential amino acids in biologically significant amounts and is simply one of the most complete sources of proteins and amino acids in existence. Egg protein is 100 percent lactose free, as is soy protein. There are more expensive varieties of whey that are 100 percent lactose free as well.

Hemp is a mostly forgotten type of protein that was used. Our grand parents and our great grand parents had access to many hemp products including hemp seeds that contain the valuable protein. I did a quick search on Google and found that you can still get this type of protein powder supplement.

Plant proteins that come in our breads and cereals and lack some of the essential amino acids. That is why their protein is often called "incomplete." It is recommended that at least 50 to 75 percent of your protein needs come from complete protein sources such as nutritional health supplements.

Amino acids are the building blocks for proteins. Antibodies, enzymes and hormones are proteins. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and this means essential amino acids are necessary for the body to function properly and to stay strong and healthy. Essential amino acids are amino acids which are indispensable to the body, but are not manufactured our bodies, therefore it is important that these amino acids be obtained in some way.

Protein powder is designed to be taken everyday as many nutritional health supplements are. Even if you aren't a bodybuilder or everyday athlete, starting your day with a protein powder shake can provide many benefits.

Protein powder is widely regarded as the most important supplement for gaining muscle mass if you are training. Many nutritional experts also believe that the more sources of protein you consume the greater muscle growth. Protein powder is commonly used by both men and women in their quest for a better physique. Protein powder is essential for any strength training and athletic individuals, since it is so hard to get the protein you need from normal food without increasing your calorie or fat intake at the same time, thus making you fat.

Soy protein powder is one protein powder that is excellent for shakes because it is tasteless yet adds a thick, creamy texture. Soy has numerous effective health benefits on the cardiovascular and hormonal systems. Soy has continued to emerge as a nutritional health supplements powerhouse.

When picking out soy based protein powders one of the most important things to look for is Non-Genetically Modified Organism products. Soybean plants are the most genetically modified organism (GMO) in the United States food supply. As of January 2006 the percentage of soybeans that have been genetically modified is estimated to be 75% and spreading fast. Shaklee uses an independent certification process that ensures the soybeans used in their soy protein powder are free from exposure to genetically modified soybeans.

Independent Shaklee Distributor Online
Website: http://BestNutritionalHealthSupplements.com
Contact: David Duncan
Phone: 1-800-414-2864