The word ‘vitamin’ has its root in ‘vitamine’ that means vital amine. Vitamins are powerful organic compounds found mainly in the food that we eat. Vitamins are essential for all human beings because they help cells and tissues to perform basic functions. Basically, vitamins are required for the growth of the body.

There are two types of vitamins- the water soluble vitamins and the fat soluble vitamins. Fat soluble vitamins are also called hormones. All the commonly known vitamins are water soluble vitamins, of which vitamin C or ascorbic acid is the most common. Earlier it was believed that all these vitamins belong to one group called B complex as they were all found in the same source. Later they were categorized as different vitamins.

Vitamin A, B1, B3, B5, B9, D, E, H, K, P, Choline and Inositol are some of the other vitamins. Few of these vitamins are known by their biological names, like vitamin B1 is known as thiamine and vitamin H, Biotin.

Vitamins form an essential component of the balanced diet that we eat. People with chronic illnesses are advised to take vitamin supplements by their doctors. Pregnant women and people suffering from bowel disorders need to watch out their vitamin intake. Bowel disorder retards the absorption of fat soluble vitamin. Folic acid is prescribed for a person suffering from thalassaemia. Patients with pernicious anemia have to be given injections of vitamin B12 because of its acute deficiency in their body.

We need small amounts of these vitamins on regular basis to help the body function smoothly and remain healthy. These vitamins help the organs to carry out their individual functions. In the absence of these vitamins, our body falls sick and suffers from vitamin deficiency diseases. There are enough vitamins present in our foods but if we don’t eat a balanced diet the external supplements will do the needful.

Vitamins are useful and mandatory for the body, but excess of everything is bad. Even vitamins taken in excess can cause severe damage to the body. For instance, the body needs only 400 to 800 units of vitamin D in a day. If this amount is exceeded, too much calcium gets absorbed by the bloodstream, which can damage the kidneys. Moreover, supplements can never replace the healthy diets, so it’s better to take vitamin-rich diet than take supplements.

Last word of caution Do not take vitamins by gathering information from here and there. Consult your doctor. Remember, little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

You wake up one morning and you decided that you have had enough of being obese! You have a very personal reason a choice for change and a healthier you.

Whether you’re considering weight-loss surgery and want to understand what’s ahead, adapting to a new lifestyle following the procedure, or looking for non-surgical weight-loss tips, all the information is here.

Opting for weight-loss surgery is not an easy choice. To decide whether it’s right for you, consider the facts of the procedure and the post-operative road you’ll need to travel.

The challenges of dieting, exercise and even medications can seem daunting when trying to keep weight off. As a result, many have turned to weight-loss surgery as the best long-term option. But before making that difficult decision, questions need to be answered.

Which type of weight-loss surgery is right for you?
What’s involved in the procedure?
Are there any risks associated with weight-loss surgery?
In normal digestion, food passes through the stomach and enters the small intestine, where most of the nutrients and calories are absorbed. It then passes into the large intestine colon, and the remaining waste is eventually excreted.

Gastric bypass surgery makes the stomach smaller and allows food to bypass part of the small intestine. You will feel full more quickly than when your stomach was its original size, which reduces the amount of food you eat and thus the calories consumed. Bypassing part of the intestine also results in fewer calories being absorbed. This leads to weight loss.

The most common gastric bypass surgery is a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

In a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, the stomach is made smaller by creating a small pouch at the top of the stomach using surgical staples or a plastic band. The smaller stomach is connected directly to the middle portion of the small intestine jejunum, bypassing the rest of the stomach and the upper portion of the small intestine duodenum.

This procedure can be done by making a large incision in the abdomen an open procedure or by making a small incision and using small instruments and a camera to guide the surgery laparoscopic approach.

Male gender is a predictor of morbidity and age a predictor of mortality for patients undergoing gastric bypass surgery. Open gastric bypass surgery requires up to a 5-day stay. Laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery requires a hospital stay of 2-3 days.

Flaxseed and Heart Disease!

Did you know that some research on statin drugs show only a 1 reduction in arterial plaque? Instead of spending thousands of dollars on a prescription drug, you should at least consider a healthier and far less expensive dietary supplement like flax seed.

The American Heart Association found that women with increased dietary intake of the isoflavones and lignans found in soy and flax decreased their risk for atherosclerosis and arterial degeneration. Flax is by far the richest source of lignans, according to the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.

Can Flaxseed Prevent Cancer too?

Recently small studies of cancer patients in America who consumed flaxseeds have produced some encouraging results. In one study men with prostate cancer who ate an ounce of ground flaxseed a day as part of a very low fat diet were able to slow the progress of their cancers between the time they were diagnosed and the time of surgery. A similar study of women awaiting surgery for breast cancer found that those who ate a flaxseed muffin daily had a slower tumour growth rate. Various studies of animals, too, suggest some anti-cancer benefit from flaxseed.

How Do I Store Flaxseeds?

Whole golden flax seed which is clean, dry and of good quality, can be stored at room temperature for up to a year. For optimum freshness, ground flax seed should be ground as needed. Unused ground flax seed can be refrigerated in an airtight container if it will be used in just a matter of days, or it can be stored in the freezer for about a month.

Ground flax can be added to your morning juice or chocolate milk – usually a heaping tablespoon or two with your favorite beverage. Or you can sprinkle ground flax on cereals or yogurt.

Understanding why you eat certain foods is essential in maintaining life-long health habits. Certainly, pleasing taste and visual appeal is one reason we make food choices. Yet, choosing foods that keep our body working as a finely tuned machine is also the goal that healthy-minded individuals strive to achieve.

Despite all the concern about fat in our diet, the body does require healthy fats and oils to function. The problem is that most people are getting the wrong kinds of fats in their diet and are lacking the good, healthy fats. Besides being an energy source, healthy fats and oils are nutrients used in the production of cell membranes, as well as in several hormone-like compounds called eicosanoids.

These compounds help regulate blood pressure, heart rate, blood vessel constriction, blood clotting and the nervous system. In addition, dietary fat carries fat-soluble vitamins vitamins A, D, E and K from your food into your body. Fat also helps maintain healthy hair and skin, protects vital organs, keeps your body insulated, and provides a sense of fullness after meals satiety. The human body cannot function properly without two polyunsaturated fats – linoleic and alpha-linoleic acid. These fatty acids, which are found in flaxseed oil and other healthy oils and are truly to normal cell structure and body function. Flaxseed may prove useful in the nutritional management of patients with autoimmune diseases.

Dr. Budwig, has been treating cancer of all kinds with nothing but cottage cheese and Flaxseed Oil for over 16 years. She says that people with cancer have blood that is low in Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids and the blood has a greenish cast. Flaxseed oil is 56 Omega 3 and 16 Omega 6. Recently I read that most people have blood that is 80 deficient in Omega 3. Dr. Budwig has taken patients sometimes given only hours to live and restored them to health. Doctors had attempted to treat patients with sources of Omega 3 but had not been consistently successful.

Dr. Budwig’s research found that in order for these fatty acids to be fully available to the body, they must be tied to a sulfur based protein; the best source of which is cottage cheese. Depending on the severity of the condition she had her patients use 3 to 6 Tbsps. of Flaxseed oil a day, with at least 4 oz or 12 cup of cottage cheese per day.

If you’re not making sushi at home you’re missing out on a delicious and extremely diet-friendly meal. It’s easy to make, fast, nutritious, and the raw fish you’re afraid of is completely optional.

First let’s have a brief overview of sushi for those who’ve never had it or those who have tried it but want to know more.

Sushi is the catch-all name for a wide variety of Japanese dishes. The word sushi actually refers to rice with rice vinegar added. Since this is a very basic and lightly flavored food, it is the many ingredients added to it that really define what dish you are eating. The raw fish you have heard of is sashimi – an ingredient of many types of sushi – but you can create sushi with virtually any ingredient that goes with rice.

In America by far the most common type of sushi is Maki-sushi, or rice wrapped in seaweed. The seaweed is called nori and forms the green skin you can see around sushi pieces. For this reason maki-sushi are called nori rolls on many menus. Also popular is Nigiri-sushi, small bars of rice topped with wasabi and sashimi.

It’s easy to include sushi into a healthy diet. Think of the ingredients rice, vegetables, and fish. Not exactly a heart-attack in the making, just the opposite in fact. As long as you don’t go overboard on the rice it is extremely low calorie in addition to being low fat. Where we chomp pork rinds and potato chips, the Japanese have sushi. Care to guess which country has a longer average life span?

Let’s learn how to make a California roll, easily the most popular nori roll in America today. You will need the following items, all of which should be easy to find in your supermarket’s oriental foods section or at your local Asian market

Bamboo rolling mat
Sushi rice short or medium grain
Nori squares of roasted seaweed
Salt
Sugar
Rice vinegar
Imitation crab meat
Avocado
Cucumber
Wasabi
Soy sauce

Prepare the rice according to the directions on the package. You will need about 34 cup cooked rice for each sushi roll, and most people will be full after eating 1 or 2 rolls.

In a small pan, place a tablespoon of vinegar and 13 tbsp of sugar and salt for each 34 cup of rice you are cooking. Heat the resulting mixture briefly and stir until the sugar dissolves. When the rice is almost done cooking, begin cutting your vegetables. Peel a cucumber and cut it into long thin strips, about a 14″ around. Same for the avocado. If you bought powdered wasabi prepare it also just mix in tiny amounts of water until you get a thick paste.

Once the rice is done, remove it from heat and slowly fold in the vinegar mixture. Then lay the rice out on a sheet of foil or a baking sheet and allow it to cool traditionally this is done by fanning the rice while slowly stirring it. The rice should be slightly damp and sticky, but not wet and mushy. Getting the rice right is the most difficult part of making sushi, but a little practice will teach you what works.

Once the vinegared rice has cooled off, you are ready to put it all together. Lay your bamboo rolling mat in front of you horizontally the bamboo sticks should run left-right. Take a sheet of nori and lay it on the rolling mat. Spread a layer of rice on the nori, covering about 34 of it. The part of the nori not covered in rice will hold the roll closed think of the glue strip on an envelope or the gum on a cigarette paper.

Place a strip of avocado and a strip of cucumber on the rice, and top it with crab meat. Now wet your fingers with cold water and dampen the part of the nori you left uncovered. Carefully roll the sushi using the mat, starting with the rice side and rolling it up don’t roll the mat into it, silly. If this sounds complicated, don’t worry. It is as simple as rolling up a sleeping bag or a beach towel, and it will be obvious to you once you actually have the ingredients in front of you.

Take the resulting roll and cut it into bite sized slices, usually 6 per roll. If you are having trouble cutting the roll without damaging it, try dipping your knife into water between each cut. Lay the pieces flat and they will look like little colorful discs. Serve with wasabi and soy sauce on the side.

If you feel brave and want to try sashimi, here are a few safety tips. First of all, understand that millions of people eat raw fish every day without getting sick. However, most of them live right next to the sea where fresh fish is abundant. For many land-locked Americans this isn’t the case. Fish that is prepared for shipping to a grocery store in Boise is not handled in the same way as that bound for a San Francisco sushi bar. Look for fish that is specially labeled as sushi-grade. Avoid freshwater fish, with the notable exception of Salmon, which spends much of its life at sea. When buying whole fish, make sure the gills are bright red and not slimy, the eyes should be transparent and not cloudy, and there should be no fishy odor.

Take up a healthy and nutritious sushi addiction today. It may take you a while to get the rice and the rolling right, but once you are experienced you’ll be able to whip out several nori rolls in five minutes.

This article is about weight loss and how to live a more healthy life, I hope you find it interesting to read and beneficial. I have had a lot of problems with my weight over the years and by the age of twenty-two had had enough of being obese. In the article I write about how I eventually lost my excess pounds.

I have always struggled to keep my weight under control. Being over-weight affected my whole life, I was unable to wear the clothes I wanted to and I often felt guilty after eating certain foods. I was adamant that if only I could lose a couple of stones my confidence would increase and that I would ultimately be a lot happier.

I read many books and attempted to follow a range of diets. For whatever reason this did not seem to help me, mainly because I could not stick to their weight loss programs due to my love of fatty foods.

One day I was talking to a neighbour who was not only very nice but also quite thin. She looked very fit and healthy and I enquired as to how she kept so trim.

This neighbour who is called Gillian seemed quite taken aback and even flattered by my question and went quite coy. She stated that at one point in her life, she had also had a weight problem and had not been happy about it. What she was about to say was quite a shock to me, however would eventually change my life.

She went on to say that wherever she went to at this stage of her life, she would travel to by car. Gillian had realised that in an average week, she did very little exercise and at times did none at all. She then went out and bought a dog and would take this pet for a walk at least twice a day. This was not a choir for Gillian and over the next few years even resulted in her meeting a number of new friends. Previously, Gillian had seen exercise as a hassle and very time consuming but on various days she would take her dog on four walks, she enjoyed it that much.

Gillian quickly noticed that not only was she losing weight but that she also felt a lot healthier. It was not long before she was at a weight she was happy with.

After listening to Gillian’s story I decided to follow her weight loss program. Yes I went and bought a dog and am happy to report that it has also worked for me.

We see a lot of people struggling with weight issues and their body image. With the available resources and materials for weight loss spilled all over the place, those, who are over weight, are a bit confused about which method to follow to shed those extra lbs. Although the basics of weight loss do not change, they depend on setting realistic goals, cutting the calorie intake and exercising a little bit. Many presume that a weight loss program is all about a restricted diet, or fad diets, or diet pills and involving strenuous physical exercises. But, actually the basics of weight loss program are rational, flexible and healthy to which any one can adhere to while they work well on the person aiming to lose weight.

The first basic step towards weight loss is to set a reachable goal. When setting a goal to reduce weight, it is good to know the reason for doing so, benefits you may get at the end of the weight reduction program and the changes you are willing to make in your diet. This kind of analysis of the self helps understand the problem the better way and helps in setting realistic goals for weight loss. The weight loss efforts should be a reasonable one and should be gradual.

Once the goal is set to reduce say two pounds a week, then comes the step of creating a food journal to analyze and monitor what you eat for the particular week. This food journal helps keep track of what you eat, or drink. Sometimes the feeling towards the food you eat is also jotted down. This is very important as it throws light on the food pattern and habits of the person. The weight loss is also recorded. By reviewing the food pattern, the foods that needed to be avoided can be seen clearly and can be substituted with healthy foods. The secret is to be very consistent with this surely you will see positive results. Water is a very good natural hunger suppressant and can be taken in good quantities, if you note that you are drinking less amounts of water. It too can contribute to the weight loss efforts.

When the diet is combined with good exercise say walking or swimming or aerobics, it too aids in burning calories. The exercise should be in such a way that when it is done, it should be enjoyable, choose the kind of activity which interests you a lot than slogging. Exercise too needs to be tracked in the journal to see its effects with your own eyes.

When someone joins my personal coaching program, one of the first things I ask them to do is to describe exactly what their body is going to look like once I help them reach their goal weight. I ask them to do this in writing not over the phone, and heres why

Deeply imbedded negative thoughts are what cause us to have difficulties in any weight loss or health enhancement program in fact, our past failures can almost always be traced back to negative thoughts that we didnt even realize we had.

Most of our negative thinking comes out when we write things down on paper or on the computer.

I challenge you to write out 10 brief descriptions about how your body will look in 30 days if you were coached by someone like me someone who knows exactly how to transform the human body no matter what stage of the game youre currently at.

Go ahead, take a moment and write out what your face would look like, what your arms would look like, what your legs and your butt would look like would your skin look different, would your muscles be tighter, would you be leaner detail everything, then come right back.

Did you do it?

Make your list now before reading any further I want you to walk away with some profound knowledge of yourself when youre done reading this article.
OK, now that you have your list, let me show you something that you can use to judge whether or not youve been causing yourself to fail in your attempts to lose weight and keep it off.

Here are some examples of statements that a good friend of mine used to have before he and I began working together statements that were literally holding him back from success

Facemore chiseled features, no double chin, no doughy jowls or puffy cheeks, no bags under the eyes.

Other than improved facial shape, I really have no complaints at all about my face, hair, eyes, nose, ears.

Neckno double chin or wattle

Chestno gynecomastia womanly breasts, muscular instead. Look, ma, I can see my ribcage and pectoral muscles instead of a soft mattress of flab.

Armshard sinewy curves instead of soft breadsticks. Seeing veins and muscles instead of smooth fat.

Abdomenare there really abs hiding in there? Theyve never made an appearance in 50 years! Itd be nice to have a tight waist not uncomfortably sliced by too-tight underwear.

Legsless of a conical shape, more elongated and solid. Although my calves have always been rather large and firmmy best body part, next to my brain.

Buttocksless sag, more form
Backcould be a lot less hairy, would be nice to see a V shape instead of a truncated pyramid.

Can you see why he might have had a few troubles in the past reaching his goal?

But Ill let you in on a little secret this guy is in great shape now and enjoying life more than ever, and hes a pleasure to speak with each week in our coaching calls.

Now heres a list from a woman who recently completed one of my coaching programs this list was written out after our first session together watch how positive every statement is

WHAT MY BODY IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE

my face will be thinner, more defined
my posture will be great all of the time
my legs will be free of cellulite and extra fat
my butt will be sculpted and defined
my abs will be tight and defined
my arms will be cut and defined and strong and sexy!
my chest will be lifted and shapely
my back will show definition and be sexy!
I will feel the urge to walk around naked all the time! around my house and my husband, of course
I will walk confidently knowing that I look great!
I will compliment my awesome body with cool clothes that show it off
I will wear a bikini from now on!!! No shorts over the bottom!
I will wear those short shorts I have sitting in my closet
my skin will be clear
I will be unbelievably beautiful and sexy!!!

When making your list, make sure to avoid using any negatives, and have fun with this exercise the short time you take out of your day to make your list will save you tons of time and frustration in the near future.

First of all, you need to understand, that your body needs a proper Balanced Nutrition Diet, with a proper daily amount of vitamins, proteins, minerals and carbohydrates.

Get into a habit of eating exactly 3 Meals a day.

1. Eat breakfast within one hour of rising.
Breakfast provides at least 30 percent of the total energy and nutrition needed to sustain the human body during the whole day. And therefore it is very important to have a proper breakfast and not to skip it.
2. Have a healthy low-fat lunch snack.
Have a healthy snack in your lunch time, low fat yogurt for example, to keep your energy running.
3. Have your dinner three hours before your bedtime.
Have a Proper dinner three hours before your bedtime; never go to bed on a full stomach.

Drink at least 2 liters of water a day.

2 liters of water a day would help your body to burn calories more effectively and to get rid of toxins.

Exercising is a KEY.

By exercising, your body gets an advantage of many physiological benefits such as

- Weight Control by elevating your metabolism so that you burn more calories daily.
- The Boost in your energy level
- Strengthening of your heart and lungs
- Improvement in your self-image and self-confidence.
So, dont forget to exercise at least 10 minutes a day.

Try to avoid using fats.

Try to keep the fat level in your cooking as low as possible.

Make Calcium your friend.

Include as much calcium as you can in your daily diet by eating

- Oranges
- Broccoli
- Soybeans
- Tofu
- Sunflower Seeds
- Papaya
And other sources of calcium.

Calcium is a crucial element for bone metabolism. Calcium deficiency is very common. The “Average” American diet does not even come close to meeting the normal calcium requirements

425 mg. a day for Men
450 mg. a day for Women

So, to sum it up
1. Have exactly 3 meals a day
2. Drink at least 2 liters of water a day
3. Exercise at least 10 minutes a day
4. Avoid fats
5. Make calcium your friend

By following these 5 simple rules, you will be losing weight in no time.

Heres some more myths weve been taught to believe over the years. Experts weigh in on the truth that lies behind each of these tall stories.

All carbohydrates are bad for you and should be avoided. TRUTH Carbohydrates have a moderate amount of calories having half as many as fat. Simple carbohydrates sugar should be limited – complex carbohydrates whole grain, starches etc. are higher in nutrients. Problems occur when servings are too large!

You can eat more foods if they are low fat or fat free. TRUTH Low fat or fat free does not mean calorie free. Usually, when the fat is taken out, sugar and other carbohydrates are added in to keep the taste.

Dairy products are fattening and should be avoided. TRUTH Dairy products contain a good quality protein to build muscles and help organs work properly, and calcium to strengthen bones. For weight control its better to consume low-fat dairy products skim or 1 milk and products, like cheese and yogurt.

Eating after 8 p.m. causes you to gain weight. TRUTH It does not matter what time of day you eat. It is what and how much you eat as well as how much physical activity you do during the day that determines whether you gain, lose or maintain weight.

What you eat is more important than how much you eat. TRUTH the amount you have and how often you have it is more important. You should try to consume healthy food choices in the recommended portion sizes and save those foods and beverages that are high in fat, sugar and calories for special occasions.

You need to exercise for at least 45 minutes at a time to get the full benefit. TRUTH Adults should engage in moderate-intensity physical activities for at least 30 minutes on 5 or more days of the week. Research has shown that the activity does not need to be done all at one time- 30 minutes can be split into 2 – 15 minute intervals and provide the same benefits.

All vegetarians are healthy eaters. TRUTH vegetarians on average eat fewer calories and less fat than non-vegetarians. However they can make food choices that contribute to weight gain by eating large amounts of high-fat, high-calorie foods as well as food with little nutritional value. The term vegetarian is not synonymous with health.

As long as you watch your food intake, you do not need to exercise. TRUTH If you are trying to maintain or even lose weight, exercise can help you increase your lean tissue muscle while decreasing your fat stores. However, the benefit of regular physical activity goes well beyond maintaining a healthy weight.

Consuming highly nutritious foods, paying close attention to portion sizes reading labels, consuming sweets and treats in moderation and engaging in regular physical activity is the best plan to maintain a healthy lifestyle. And make sure you have all the facts before passing health info on to the next person!