Has Your Husband Been Complaining About Joint Pain Lately? It’s Time You Take Him for a Professional Check-Up!

Cracking ankles, knees and hips are not essentially the normal aches which come with routine exertion or growing age. If your husband has been complaining of any of these lately, you need to be cautions as these might be the symptoms of serious joint pain. Although, you’ll come across many natural supplements for joint pain, but what’s best for your man, will largely be determined by your family health care provider. This way, you’ll make sure that your husband gets nothing but the best joint supplements and joint vitamin supplements for his aching bones.

Most men usually shy away from stethoscopes just the way vampires recoil from crosses. They tend to neglect their health and act careless while making food choices. This in addition to their hectic work schedules, sedentary lifestyles with relentless smoking and drinking habits makes them vulnerable to developing some high complicated health issues.

Statistically, it has been proved that men on an average are the major decision makers when it comes to maintaining their family’s complete health. But, the question is – why do they slack off when it comes to their own health?

As women you know, it can only take a medical emergency to take your husband down to the doctor. However, if he’s been complaining a bit too much about a twinge in the knee, or a shooting pain in the shoulder, chances are that he’s lacking on essential vitamins for strong bones and this is something that demands your serious attention!

It Is Important You Get the Right Diagnosis Done

Arthritis is an elaborative term simply defines inflammation of the joints. However, its diagnosis is not that simple. Reason?

Over 100 different forms of arthritis have been recognized till date. This is one main reason, why a professional check-up is important for your husband to get the right diagnosis done, such that you get the right treatment with right vitamin supplements to relieve his joint pain.

There is yet another reason for you to take your husband to see a doctor – there are many different conditions which can aggravate the symptoms of joint pain. For instance, gout one of the many forms of arthritis, if left unattended can lead to osteoarthritis.

You would be surprised to know but joint pain can also be a result of a form of cancer that spreads to the joints. So, which natural supplements will work best to sooth the joint pain? This question can only be answered by your doctor.

Are You Aware Of the Common Joint Pain Related Conditions?

If you think that joint pain is a part of the normal part of aging process or is due to over-exertion or hard work out and that it’s no big deal and you’ll gradually learn to live with it – then you’re up for a bad news!

Joint pains are a serious problem and this is why doctors offer a wealth of treatment options to curb this pain. Then be it any form of exercise, alternative medications to choosing the best joint supplements and replacement surgery – there’s no dearth of effective treatment choices.

Some of the common joint pain related conditions include:

  1. Osteoarthritis

Often referred to as the degenerative joint disease, Osteoarthritis is the most common type of joint pain disease. As we grow older, cartilage that provides the cushion support and works as a shock absorber for our joints, loses its elasticity and becomes stiff. This makes it more vulnerable to damage. Osteoarthritis can occur at any joint in the body, including fingers, knee, spine, etc.

Common symptoms of Osteoarthritis include – joint ache followed by soreness and bony knots in the joints. For instant pain relief, you can opt for medications and alternative supplements as prescribed by your doctor.

  1. Rheumatoid Arthritis

Joint inflammation that occurs on both sides of the body differentiates Rheumatoid Arthritis form other types of joint pains. However, it causes similar symptoms as other types of arthritis, including joint pain, fatigue and stiffness.

Do not make the mistake of considering Rheumatoid Arthritis as any ordinary form of benign joint disease. It can be a cause of early death if left unattended and untreated.

  1. Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) and Temporal Arteritis (TA)

Most often these inflammatory diseases occur together and as such are thought to be related. It involves the larger joints of the body, including shoulders and hips. Both these conditions are generally caused when the body’s immune system reacts against itself.

Common symptoms include pain and severe stiffness in the shoulder and hip joints, weight loss, fever and fatigue. If left untreated, TA can lead to irreversible blindness, transient is-chemic attacks and strokes.

What Can You Do To Help Your Husband Get over the Joint Pain?

While there is no permanent cure for joint pain, you can still help your husband find relief from pain by following treatments from simple lifestyle changes to medications to best joint supplements to surgery.

In addition, heat or cold packs could also be tried to gain instant pain relief and see what works better for your husband. But remember, whether it is heat or ice pack, neither should be placed on the joints for more than 20 minutes, at a time.

Hale and Hearty Pregnancy with Prenatal Supplements

Pregnancy is a phase filled with smiles, excitement, and joy along with apprehension, dilemma and worries. As your child brings out the mother in you, you start becoming more and more concerned about his health. But, you must understand that it is your own health which directly affects your infant. Eating well and staying happy can help you sail through this phase smoothly. As your demands change during pregnancy, prenatal vitamins can extend a helping hand to you by providing everything you need at this stage. The supplements with prenatal vitamins and minerals become even more important for women who have narrow food choices or certain health issues. They may be women who:

  • Smoke or drink excessively.

  • Are intolerant to lactose or have other food allergies.

  • Are vegans or vegetarians

  • Will be giving birth to twins

  • Have any chronic diseases or blood disorders.

Considering your altered demands, prenatal supplements are particularly enriched with vitamins that you essentially require during pregnancy. The two most crucial nutrients are:

Folic acid: Deficiency of this key prenatal vitamin causes neural tube defects in infants.

Iron: Iron becomes a critical mineral during pregnancy as it aids in growth and development of the baby. Prenatal vitamins are also believed to prevent the birth of underweight babies.

You need more than just prenatal supplements.

Even though prenatal vitamin supplements for women can take care of the two critical nutrients at the time of pregnancy, don’t stop making efforts to incorporate rest of the nutrients in your diet. Some of these important nutrients are:

Essential Fats: Prenatal supplements are devoid of any essential fatty acids like omega 3 which are important for the development of the brain, eyes and nerves of the baby. So, if you are a non vegetarian soon to be mother, you could absolutely rely on the most important source of omega 3 i.e. fish. The problem arises for vegan or vegetarian women. They can take fish oil supplements to meet their demands. However if you are a strict vegetarian who is finicky about consuming oil derived from fish, you may have to look for vegan supplements enriched with essential fats.

Calcium: Don’t depend on prenatal supplements for all your calcium. This mineral is required in large amounts and your prenatal pills might just not be enough for you and your baby. Have lots of milk and its products to raise the calcium levels. You can also go for individual calcium supplements if your doctor recommends.

Vitamin D: This is something you don’t have to worry much about. Just twenty minutes under the morning sun everyday and you have obtained sufficient vitamin D for you and your baby. Doesn’t satisfy you? Well along with this you can even have food rich in vitamin D such as fish, eggs, milk and fortified cereals.

Choosing the best prenatal vitamins:

Before you order your prenatal pills from your health store, there are some important points to consider. As there are endless products in the market, each one offering the best benefit, you have to be picky about selecting the best prenatal vitamin and mineral supplement. After all, it is about you and your baby’s health.

First of all, don’t take any health supplements unless your doctor prescribes you. Overuse of dietary supplements can be risky. For example, Vitamin A is an essential vitamin but overdose of this vitamin during pregnancy has been linked to birth defects in babies.

Pay attention to the label of the supplement. Make sure that your prenatal vitamin contains about 400 micro-grams of folic acid and at least 30 milligrams of iron to meet your demands. Those supplements which have nutrients lower than the recommended amount will do nothing but add to your supplement load.

Go for pharmaceutical grade products for maximum purity and quality. These products are little expensive than others but nothing is more worthy than you and your baby’s health, isn’t it?

Ensure that the supplement dis-solvable. Some prenatal products dissolve quite slowly in stomach which makes it hard to absorb it. So perform a dissolution test on your own at home by putting the pill in vinegar and observing it for around half an hour. Thumbs up if the pill dissolves or disintegrates!

How safe are these supplements?

Reputed manufacturers promise high quality and safety of prenatal products but some women often experience problems in tolerating prenatal vitamins. Companies have introduced various dosage forms such as syrups or chewable tabs for the ease of expecting mothers. Also, as the supplements for prenatal vitamins are rich in iron, women may suffer from constipation. A good amount of fiber content in your meals and intake of plenty of water can help you manage this problem.

So, all the mothers to be brace up for some changes in your diet, routine, eating habits, exercise and even supplements for a safe and healthy pregnancy.

Fire up Your Fat Loss – Naturally

It’s time to show the world the reason why you spend most of your time in the gym. But, in case you really want to make sure that those extra pounds of fats are gone well in time, you might want to consider taking the help of natural fat burning supplements. These supplements work through a number of mechanisms to help you achieve a fat-free body you’ve always desired. Also, if you wish to maximize their effectiveness, you need to combine ingredients which work synergistically in order to enhance both fat release as well as elimination. The following article discusses the top natural fat burning supplements to help you fire your fat loss process in no time!

  1. Fat Releasers

    The body fat you hold under your skin is stored in fat cells, termed as adipocytes. In order to lose fat, these cells must be as small as possible, as you’ll need to empty the fat cells of most of their contents.The key ingredients that can help you increase the amount of release from your fat cells include:

  • Caffeine: While you think of this popular stimulant, you’re more likely to think of the buzz you get and how it instantly ramps up your calorie burning. What you might not know is that while caffeine does serve to torch up calories, its main function is to bind the receptors present on your fat cells. This stands true when caffeine is taken right before the workout session.

  • Yohimbe: An extract from the bark of a tree found in West Africa, yohimbe comprises of the active ingredient yohimbine that not only boosts libido, but also fuels fat loss by increasing the amount of fat release from your fat cells, similar to what caffeine does.

  1. Calorie Burners

Just because natural supplements such as caffeine and yohimbe help release fat content from your fat cells, does not necessarily mean that it will be burned off too. You are required to ramp up your calorie burn such that your body can use the freed up fat as fuel source.

Here are the four essential natural fat burning supplements that can effectively boost the number of calories your body can burn:

  • Green Tea Extract: One of the best natural fat burning supplement, green tea extracts efficiently work to boost the number of calories burnt each day. Its catechin content, especially the one known as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) brings out the fat-burning properties of green tea.

  • Synephrine: One of the key ingredients of the bitter orange plant, Synephrine works to boost the metabolic rate to a great extent.

  • Capsaicin: A natural plant chemical, capsaicin helps in increasing the epinephrine levels in the body, which in turn enhances the amount of calories burnt by your body. According to a study performed at the University of Oklahoma, people who took supplements of natural fat burning substances that contained both caffeine and capsaicin burned more calories during and after the workouts.

  • Olea Europaea Extract: Scientific name for olive leaf extract having oleuropein as one of its most important ingredients. A powerful antioxidant, oleuropein not only boosts the immune system, but also raises the norepinephrine levels to increase the amount of calories burnt by the body.

  1. Fat Transporter

With so much of freed-fat floating inside your body, sometimes even an increase in calorie burn is not sufficient to make sure all the fats get eliminated. Fat transporters play a very crucial role here, as they help in maximizing the amount of fat transported to the energy centers.

  • Carnitine: A key component of the transportation system, carnitine helps in bringing the fat into the mitochondria such that it is burned completely. An efficient natural fat burning supplement, carnitine helps in increasing the amount of fat burned by the body.

  1. Fat Stopper

Fat loss can be defined as a constant battle of burning off more of fat than you store. So, when planning to fire up your fat loss process, it’s a good idea to use a combination of natural supplements that free up and burn more fat, along with supplements that help decrease the total amount of fat already stored in your body.

  • Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA): A naturally occurring group of healthy fats, CLA specifically comprises of omega-6 fats. Various studies have proved that CLA helps in enhancing fat loss, while improving muscle growth and strength.

  1. Gene Activators

You would be surprised to know but nutritional supplements even affect out DNA. According to a research the following two ingredients directly influence the expression of the genes that are involved in fat burning process.

  • Fucoxanthin: This is a popular chemical found in seaweeds. When taken as a supplement fucoxanthin activates the genes that help the body burn off calories. That’s not all it also helps the body turn off genes which increase the growth of fat-cells.

  • Fish Oil: An essential source of omega-3 fatty acids, fish oils provide both EPA and DHA, which have been found to turn on genes that help in increasing fat burn, while decreasing fat storage.

Elixir of life: Vitamins & Minerals – Part II: Vitamins

The first part of this three part blog was an overview of vitamins and minerals. This part we take a closer look at the types of vitamins and their role.Vitamins are classified broadly into two categories water-soluble and fat-soluble. You need to know this for example if you’re supplementing your vitamin requirement via supplements as fat soluble vitamins are better absorbed if taken with food. Let’s have a closer look at the two types.

Water-soluble vitamins

  • B vitamins

  • Biotin (vitamin B7)

  • Folic acid (folate, vitamin B9)

  • Niacin (vitamin B3)

  • Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5

  • Riboflavin (vitamin B2)

  • Thiamine (vitamin B1)

  • Vitamin B6

  • Vitamin B12

  • Vitamin C

Why are they important

Water-soluble vitamins play a host of different tasks in the body. One of the most important being the release of energy from the food you consume Still others help in maintaining tissue health. Here are some examples of how different vitamins help you maintain good health:

  • Release energy: Several B vitamins form the bases of certain co-enzymes. These co-enzymes aid in the metabolism of fat and carbohydrate in turn liberating energy.

  • Proteins synthesis and new cell generation. Vitamins B6, B12 along with folic acid help in metabolising amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) and help in cells division and multiplication.

  • Building collagen. Vitamin C plays an important role in build collagen. Collagen plays a vital role in healing wounds, supporting walls of blood vessels, and forms the base for bones and teeth.

Words to the wise

It is generally believed that, our body does not store water-soluble vitamins. However, it might be true in the case of some of the water soluble vitamins but not all. Some of them can stay in the body for extended periods of time. For instance, Vitamin B12 is stored in the liver and you might have several years’ worth of this vitamin in your body at any given stage. Vitamin B12 is not the only one, folic acid and vitamin C reserves could last for a couple of days as well.

Generally, though, the stock of these vitamins would require replenishment every few days.

A word of caution:

Though the risks associated with excessive intake are low in water soluble vitamins, there is however a small risk associated with excessive intake of some of these vital micro-nutrients. Through the chances of this happing through food alone are virtually zero, the risk is quit real when it comes to supplements. For instance, a B6 dose that’s well over RDA can cause damage to the nerves, in turn causing numbness and even weaken the muscle.

Fat-soluble vitamins

As the name suggests Fatty foods and oils are reservoirs for fat-soluble vitamins. Within the body, these vitamins are stored primarily in the fat tissues. The liver is organ that holds these vitamins.You can think of these vitamins as being time-released. Unlike most water soluble vitamins these can be stored in the body and you may replenish your reserves weeks and even months apart and still get your fill. Your body accumulators the excess and doles it out when needed.

The four fat-soluble vitamins

  • Vitamin A

  • Vitamin D

  • Vitamin E

  • Vitamin K

Why are they important

Collectively these quartets of vitamins promote eyes, skin, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, and nervous system health. In additions to these fat-soluble vitamins play a pivotal role in:

  • Building strong bones: together vitamins A, D, and K play a pivotal role in the process of bone formation.

  • Shield the vision: Vitamin A is probably the most important nutrient for the eyes. It aids in keeping the cells healthy and provides protection for the vision.

  • Guard the body: Vitamin E also acts as powerful antioxidant. It helps mop up free radicals which can damage healthy cells and provides for complete well-being.

A word of caution

As the body store excessive fat-soluble vitamins over long periods of times, the risk of toxicity are very real with these vitamins. As is the case with water-soluble vitamins there is very little chance to reach these via diet alone. But if you’re taking supplements you need to be very careful.

Elixir of life: Vitamins & Minerals – 1

So what’s the big deal about vitamins and minerals any ways? Do you really need to worry about getting adequate amounts of these “essential nutrients”?

Let’s have a look at what the fuss is all about. Vitamins and minerals together are called “essential nutrients” because they perform literally hundreds of different functions in the body.

This three part blog will arm you with all the information that you will ever need on these “essential nutrients”. Let’s start with an overview of the functioning of these micro nutrients as a whole. In the later parts we will take a closer look at the vitamins and minerals individually.

Now that we have the importance of these micro nutrients, let’s get a couple of things down:

  • Eating a well-balanced diet still remains the best way to get adequate quantities of these essential nutrients.

  • Like all things in life there is a fine line between getting the right quantity and having too much which can cause several complications.

Essential nutrients for your body

These nutrients are essential for your body as they provide the raw material that is required to produce bones, muscle, skin as well as adding in a number of life-supporting processes. Together these 30 odd vitamins, minerals, and dietary nutrients are essential for survival and must be sourced from external sources as the human body cannot produce them in sufficient quantities on its own.

In addition, these nutrients together work synergistic-ally to perform hundreds of additional roles in the body, they support healthy bones, aid in the healing process, and bolster your immune system. They also play a vital role in converting food into energy, and help repair damaged cells.

What if you don’t get adequate amounts of these micro-nutrients?

Having gotten the importance part out of the way let’s look at what can happen if you don’t get the adequate quantities of these essential nutrients. Vitamins and minerals are also known as micro-nutrients because they are only required in minute quantities. Yet failing to meet the adequate quantity of these nutrients virtually guarantees diseases. Let’s look at a few examples:

  • Scurvy: Used to be prevalent in sailors as the job enlisted months on end at sea without access to fresh fruits or vegetables rich in vitamin C— the disease is marked by bleeding gums and lethargy of scurvy.

  • Blindness: Failing to get adequate quantities of vitamin A can cause blindness. Blindness due to vitamin A deficiency is still prevalent in a number of countries in the developing world.

  • Rickets: This disease is caused by a deficiency of vitamin D, a condition that causes the bones to become soft and weak which in turn can cause skeletal deformities such as bowed legs.

Okay enough fear mongering; let’s look at the benefits of a well-balanced diet that provides for the adequate quantities of these essential nutrients. Just to name a few:

  • Strong bones: together vitamins D and K along with calcium, phosphorus and magnesium help build strong bones that are more resilient to fractures. This combination should be of interest to you, especially if you’re over 35 and for post-menopausal women.

  • Prevention of birth defects: It is highly recommended that folic acid supplements be taken during early pregnancy as it aids in prevention of brain and spinal birth defects in offspring.

  • Healthy teeth: The mineral fluoride often found in a number of toothpastes these days aids not only in bone formation but also keeping teeth cavities at bay.

Vitamins and minerals

Vitamins and minerals are often mentioned in a single breath no doubt; however these two are different nutrients. The biggest difference between the two being that vitamins are organic in nature and are fragile and break down upon exposure to air and/or heat, minerals on the other hand are more resilient as these are inorganic in nature.

Why do you need to know the difference between vitamins & minerals? Well, learning the basic difference between vitamins and minerals is important as most minerals required by your body can be absorbed by through various food sources that you consume. But it’s tougher to maintain the vitamin content of the food as cooking, storage, or even simple exposure to air can inactivate these more fragile compounds.

Interacting— both good and bad

A number of these nutrients interact with each other and not always in a positive fashion. For instance, Vitamin D and calcium share a positive interaction; vitamin D facilitates the absorption of calcium from various food sources and in turn aids maintaining bone strength. Likewise Vitamin C aids in the absorption of iron.

As mentioned earlier the interplay of micro nutrients isn’t always positive. For example, it is known that higher quantities of vitamin C block copper absorption. Similarly, excess of manganese can worsen iron deficiency.

Elixir of life: Vitamins & Minerals

Part III: Minerals

The first two parts of this three part blog we took an overview of vitamins and minerals and took a closer look at the role vitamins in maintaining good health. In this part we will take a closer look at Minerals and their importance in maintaining good health.

Minerals play an import role in a lot of bodily functions and processes. As is the case with vitamins the minerals can be divided into two categories namely the so called major minerals and the trace minerals. At any given time the body stores large amounts of the major minerals. However it should not be inferred that these minerals are somehow more important than the trace minerals; it’s just that the major minerals are present in the body in larger quantities.

As mentioned above the minerals that we require can be classified into two broad categories, the major minerals and the trace elements. This classification is based on the amounts that are present in the body. Let’s look at the Major minerals to start with.

Absorption

Major minerals are absorbed, stored and travel through the body in a host of ways. Potassium, for instance, is readily absorbed and enters the bloodstream quickly; the level of potassium is regulated by the kidneys. On the other hand, calcium requires a carrier for absorption and transport.

Major minerals

  • Calcium

  • Chloride

  • Magnesium

  • Phosphorus

  • Potassium

  • Sodium

  • Sulfur

So what’s the big deal about these minerals? You may ask

Though minerals play a host of functions in our body, the list is too extensive and is out of the scope of this blog. In order to get some clarity let’s just look at the major functions these minerals play. Probably the most important role that major minerals play is that they help to regulate the water level in the body. Potassium, chloride and Sodium together are responsible for this. On the other hand calcium, magnesium and phosphorus—are instrumental for maintaining healthy bones. Sulphur another major mineral aids in stabilizing the structure of proteins, including the once that make up hair, skin, and nails.

So how much is too much?

As it is true with other things in life too much of even a good thing can be bad. The body needs to get the major mineral in balanced amounts. Having one major mineral in excess can result in the body being deficient in the. These sorts of imbalances rarely result from diet alone and may be caused by supplements. One should make sure that the levels in the supplement that they consume are close to the RDA and do not exceed it by a big number. Here are two examples:

Sodium along with calcium plays an important role in the normal functioning of the nervous system. Once the body senses that sodium levels are higher than ideal it excretes the sodium and the calcium is excreted along with it. So if you are consume sodium in access, you could end up losing the much needed calcium from your body. Same way an excess of phosphorus in the body can hinder the body’s capacity to engross magnesium.

Trace minerals

Thought required only in very small amounts as compared to the major minerals, trace minerals have an equally important role to play in maintaining overall well-being. To give you an idea just cap of your supplement bottle could accommodate all the trace elements in your body on the other hand calcium and phosphorus two of the major minerals, could each account for more than a pound of your body weight.

Trace minerals

  • Chromium

  • Copper

  • Fluoride

  • Iodine

  • Iron

  • Manganese

  • Molybdenum

  • Selenium

  • Zinc

The big deal you ask

  • Trace minerals carry out a number of diverse set of functions in our body. For instance,

  • Iron present in the blood stream plays a vital role in ferrying oxygen throughout the body.

  • Fluoride another important trace mineral plays a key role in maintaining bone strength and wards off tooth decay.

  • Zinc helps in the blood clotting and also in the functioning of the sensory organs that help us taste and smell. It also has a role to play in shoring up the immune response.

  • Copper acts as a building block for a number enzyme.

These are just a few of the bodily functions that trace minerals perform. In additions the other members of the trace mineral family play an equally vital role in a number of other bodily functions.

Words to the wise

As is the case with major minerals, trace minerals too interact with one another, sometimes in ways that can cause imbalances in the body. Excess of one can cause a deficiency of another.

Here are some examples:

  • An excess of even a little manganese can aggravate the deficiency of iron.

  • Low levels of iodine can cause the thyroid to produce lower quantities of thyroid hormone, causing listlessness and result in weight gain in addition to other health concerns.

  • A deficiency of selenium can act as a catalyst in this situation and aggravate the problem.

  • The variance between “just enough” and “too much” of the trace minerals is often tiny. Generally, there is little chance that food alone may cause an imbalance, but if you take supplements, it’s important to make sure not to exceed the safe levels.

Eat Wise for Better Eyes!

To ‘see’ or to ‘watch’ something doesn’t only involve the visual perception but a lot more than that. When you see, you feel, understand, react, think, learn and imagine. This is the power of your eyes. But how can you have healthy eyes for years to keep enjoying a powerful vision? Nutrition is the answer! Your brain and eyes take up around 20 to 25 % of the nutritional intake. This shows how critical food is for your vision. Minerals and vitamins are best nutrients for eyes. Usually, we tend to take adequate amount of energy providers such as carbohydrates and proteins in our food but often miss out on micro nutrients. This unhealthy trend weakens the eyes and also has a negative effect on our overall health. Thus a proper supply of minerals and vitamins has to be taken care of. And in case you are wondering what vitamins are good for the eyes, here are some vitamins for healthy eyes to help you keep them twinkling for years to come.

Vitamins having Antioxidant effect:

Free radicals trigger various diseases by damaging your DNA. Age related macular degeneration, glaucoma and cataract are some of the serious eye disorders. Antioxidants are major free radical fighters. They wipe out these damage causing species and protect the eyes from diseases. Colourful fruits and vegetables are good sources of antioxidants. So add more colour to your plate and let antioxidants fight all the free radicals. Some of the antioxidant vitamins good for eyes are:

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is needed for maintaining a healthy retina. It helps the eyes to adapt when you step into darkness from light or vice a versa. Lutein which is a form of Vitamin A is also helpful to ward off many degenerative eye disorders. Meat, milk, colored vegetables such as spinach, pumpkins and carrots are good sources of vitamin A.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is a multipurpose vitamin. It boosts up your immune system, strengthens the muscles and bones, keeps your skin, teeth and gums healthy. Vitamin C prevents many eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts. So, gear up for a diet loaded with Vitamin C and enriched with lots of citrus fruits, kiwis, strawberries, guava etc. and ‘see’ better with Vitamin C.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E has been linked to prevention of cataracts or delaying its progression. Almonds, peanuts, green leafy vegetables, oils like corn oil, soya bean oil, sunflower oil, and fortified cereal contain good amount of Vitamin E.

Apart from antioxidant rich vitamins for eyes, minerals also have a vital role in maintaining a healthy vision. Minerals are found in all living cells and are important components of your tissues, bones, teeth, blood, muscles, and nerve cells. These act as cofactors for enzymes, carrier ions or directly help in some important processes such as bone mineralization. Some important minerals for eyes are:

Chromium: Although Chromium is requires micro quantities, it helps to improve vision by assisting in muscle contraction. So, chromium helps your eyes to focus better with better muscle contraction.

Magnesium: This mineral has been found to protect against glaucoma and also improve vision in patients suffering with this disorder. Magnesium helps to relay nerve signals and also maintains good blood flow to the eyes.

Copper: Copper is a useful mineral for your body. It helps to produce a strong connective tissue called collagen which is required for healthy eye muscles. Copper can be beneficial in the right amount but excess of this mineral can be toxic.

Zinc: Zinc helps to strengthen tissues and muscles of eyes. It works along with Vitamin A to prevent night blindness and has also been found to ward off macular degeneration of eyes. It is known to keep away symptoms of glaucoma such as swelling and cloudiness of cornea. Turkey, beef, oysters are rich sources of zinc.

Selenium:Selenium is a powerful antioxidant that helps to reduce free radicals in the eye. Avoiding free radical damage can result in prevention of eye disorders.

Your eyes need proper nourishment and care to make you see the world better. So, if you are eating a diet rich in all the vital minerals and vitamins for healthy eyes, you are through with the nourishment. So now the other important part is to care for your eyes. Following points will help you ensure good eye health:

Protect your eyes from pollution and harmful sun-rays. UV rays can have deleterious effects on your eyes. Wear UV protective sunglasses to shield your eyes from pollution and harmful rays.

Avoid working for long hours on computers. Consult your doctor for various exercises to relax your eyes. In case of any irritation, rinse your eyes with cold water rather than vigorously rubbing it.

So, keep your eyes strong and sparkling with the magic of healthy eye vitamins and minerals.

Do you Long to be Complemented on your Hair?

Rapunzel let down your hair!’ And the next thing you see is long, glossy hair flowing down the tower strong enough to tow the prince up and happy ending for her! But what about most of us who struggle through the busy morning hours combing, curling or straightening our frizzy hair to make them look presentable, at least. Switching from one shampoo to another only gives disappointment after a while. So, why not nourish our hair from within and take the nutritious way to get gorgeous hair? There are many vital vitamins for hair which will not only boost your hair growth but will also make them healthy and strong.

Most common Hair Problems:

  • Hair fall: Your heart skips a beat when you see your hair falling off at an alarming rate.

  • Premature Graying of hair: Graying with age is fine but premature graying may happen due to melanocyte damage. Melanocytes produce melanin which gives hair its characteristic color. However, any damage to these cells results in absence of melanin and hence graying.

  • Dandruff: Dandruff is the flaking caused due to excessive shedding of the dead skin cells. It is the most common problem faced by adults around the world. Dandruff can occur because of dryness, fungal infection and even in response to a harsh shampoo.

  • Rough and dull hair: Silky and shiny hair is everyone’s dream but pollution, weather or improper diet can spoil the hair texture.

Following are some key ingredients that make the best vitamin supplements for your hair to give them the much needed nourishment:

Vitamin A:

Longing for long, shiny hair? This vitamin is your remedy. Vitamin A prevents dryness and keeps your scalp moisturised. Egg yolk, milk, spinach, carrots are good sources of Vitamin A.

Vitamin B complex:

This group of vitamins is an elixir for your hair. Eggs, cauliflower, nuts contain biotin or Vitamin B7 which takes care of your hair’s texture and thickness. And if you are struggling with hair loss, foods such as legumes, whole grains, fish, and eggs which are loaded with Vitamin B12 can be helpful.

There are various brands offering biotin enriched shampoos too. However, along with their use, it is best to also keep your body’s vitamin levels under check through food or some of the best vitamin supplements available in the market. One of them is iOTH’s iMultiply which not only contains all the essential vitamins and minerals but also omega 3 and lutein for overall health benefits.

Vitamin C

Your favorite lime water not only refreshes you but also nourishes your hair. Daily intake of Vitamin C through food items or supplements is essential for your hair’s health. Some of the Vitamin C rich food items are: Lemons, guavas, kiwis, strawberries.

Vitamin E

Antioxidant Vitamin E is particularly believed to be good for hair growth and regeneration. Also its antioxidant properties help in protecting your cells from oxidative damage which is responsible for premature graying. Almonds, sunflower seeds, walnuts are rich sources of Vitamin E.

The Benefits of Vitamin Supplements

Having said everything, if you are asked to create a diet plan incorporating all the essential vitamins for your hair, and stick to it every day, you would rather opt for the daily morning hair tussle. Wouldn’t it be easy if you won’t have to take care of your daily vitamin intake and someone else does it for you? Say hello to a myriad of vitamin supplements that are flooding the market. And if you are too occupied to even visit a health store, you can now buy vitamin supplements online! You are just a click away from a range of products from different brands. Some even offer cheap vitamin supplements. However, don’t get carried away by low prices and go for a product only after considering its quality, composition and brand reputation! Also, don’t forget to consult your doctor before starting any new supplement.

If relying on best vitamin supplements alone for healthy hair is just not enough for you, here are some more solutions. These may not help you tow a prince with your hair, but can certainly make him come after you!

  • Avoid vigorous head massage

None of us can deny believing that a good head massage improves blood circulation. Break this myth as oiling your hair and scalp may help you to get rid of the dryness but it can be too harsh on your scalp. Vigorous massage causes damage of the hair follicles and hair breakage. It is only exercise that can improve blood circulation to your scalp making the roots healthy and strong.

  • Protect your hair from UV damage and pollution

Cover your head when you are out in the scorching sun to protect it from harmful sunrays. Covering your hair will protect them from pollution and thus maintain their luster.

  • Use anti-fungal shampoos

These can be used to treat dandruff after consulting your doctor to get rid of the infection if any and don’t forget to keep away from the use of cheap vitamins for your hair.

  • Abstain from heat treatments

Heat treatments can damage the cuticle or the outer layer of your hair thus inducing breakage.

Do You Know the Right Way to Follow a Heart Healthy Diet Tips?

Weight control and regular exercising are critical for keeping your heart in good shape – but, it is important to note that whatever you eat may matter just as much! You would be surprised to know but a heart-healthy diet can reduce your risk of developing various heart diseases and even stroke up to 80%. For this, all you need to do is to understand what all foods and methods of cooking are the best and healthiest for your heart. This will not only allow you to better manage and prevent heart diseases and high blood pressure, but will also help you take greater control over the quality and length of your life!

What Can You Do To Prevent Heart Diseases?

Various types of heart diseases are the leading cause of death for men and women, but that certainly does not mean you cannot protect yourself. In addition to performing regular exercises, you need to be extra careful about what you eat and what you don’t eat. This will help you keep a check on your cholesterol levels and healthy blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Plus, you would also be able to maintain an overall healthy weight. In case, you’ve already been diagnosed with any type of heart diseases or are suffering from high cholesterol or blood pressure problems, choosing a heart-healthy diet, would help you better manage all such conditions while lowering your risk of getting heart attack.

Selecting a diet good for your heart-health is a crucial step towards preventing the risk of developing heart related diseases. However, you may feel unsure where to begin from. To make it easy for you – take a look at the bigger picture!

The overall eating pattern you pick is far more important than being obsessed with individual foods. Remember, no single food can make you magically healthy. Therefore, your goal should be to incorporate a variety of heart-healthy foods, all prepared in a healthy way – which become an essential part of your new lifestyle.

Heart Healthy Diet Tips

Tip 1: Cut Down on Saturated and Trans Fats

Of all the possible improvements you can make to follow a heart-healthy diet plan, cutting down on saturated and trans fats should be your number one priority. Both these fats are known to raise your LDL or “bad” cholesterol levels that can increase your risk for heart attack and strokes. Fortunately, there are numerous ways to control your saturated and trans fat intake – here’s how:

  • Check all labels: Whatever food you eat, make sure you check their labels first. This is because, majority of snacks, including the ones marked as “reduced fats” are prepared with oils containing trans fats.

  • Limit your solid fat intake: Minimize the consumption of solid fats, such as margarine, butter or even the shortenings added to food while cooking or serving.

  • Pick alternatives: You can easily swap high-fat foods with their low-fat counterparts.

  • Change your habits: The best way to avoid saturated and trans fats is to work on your habits. This means, instead of eating snacks like chips, you should prefer munching on fresh fruits and vegetables.

Some Fats Can Be Good For Your Heart Too

While saturated and trans fats can be big roadblocks on your way to a healthy heart, unsaturated fats on the other hand, are essentially good for your overall health. These “good” fats include:

  • Omega-3 fatty acids: Fatty fish like trout or salmon and walnuts, flaxseed, etc. are rich source of polyunsaturated fats which are essential for body.

  • Omega 6 fatty acids: Soy nuts, vegetable oils and other types of seeds are naturally rich in healthy fats.

  • Monounsaturated fats: Peanuts, almonds, cashews and butters made from all these nuts provide “good” fats in great quantities.

Tip 2: Prefer Low Cholesterol Foods

Unhealthy cholesterol levels can increase your risk of heart diseases; therefore it is advisable keep your levels low for a healthy heart. Here again, your diet is central to maintaining your cholesterol. While some foods are known to lower the cholesterol, others can make matters worse.

  • Say no to saturated fats and trans fats: Foods containing saturated and trans fats can increase your cholesterol levels significantly, as compared to foods containing cholesterol, thereby increase your risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. So, avoid foods containing these fats.

  • Shop wisely: To follow a heart-healthy diet, choose foods rich in protein, fiber and unsaturated fats. Fresh fruits and vegetables as well as seeds and nuts are great cholesterol regulators.

  • Don’t always trust the labels: Scanning food labels can at times be complicated, since packaged foods with labels stating, “low cholesterol” or “cholesterol free” are not necessarily heart healthy. In fact, these can even contain heart-risky cholesterol. So, it is advisable you stick to the basics of fruits, vegetables, proteins and nuts.

Lowering Your Cholesterol with Fish Oil Supplements

To follow a complete heart-healthy diet, you can add fish such as trout and salmon to your diet, at least twice a week. This will help you lower your cholesterol levels to a great extent and thus reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Alternatively, you can choose you have, high quality omega-3 supplement, such as Omega TriplExpert by iOTH to support your cardiovascular health.

Tip 3: High-Fiber Foods Are Good For You

High-fiber diet helps in lowering bad cholesterol while providing nutrients that work to protect against heart diseases. Whole grains, fruits and vegetables form an essential part of heart-healthy diet as they are one of the richest sources of high-fiber foods.

It should be noted that processed and refined foods have reduced fiber levels, therefore it is important you make whole grains an integral part of your daily diet. Mentioned below are the simple ways to help you add whole grains to your daily meals:

  • Choose a high-fiber breakfast: Prefer taking a breakfast cereal that offers more than one gram of fiber per serving.

  • Keep trying new grains: You can experiment with wild rice, brown rice, whole-wheat pasta and barley.

  • Check what you are backing: When you are backing at home, swap whole-grain flour with white flour and in yeast breads, make use of extra yeast or allow the dough to raise longer.

Did You Know How Hair, Nail And Skin Supplements Benefit You?

With a slew of beauty supplements available in the market touting infinite skin care benefits, do you find yourself wondering that merely applying serum isn’t enough – you need to ingest skin vitamins too? Read along to find out!

In addition to eating the right food, you can drastically improve the health of your hair, skin and nails with skin vitamin supplements. Some are better than the others at targeting these areas; however major brands stock multivitamins to help support all the three key areas simultaneously.

However, before you begin with your supplement intake, it is extremely important for you to know the best vitamins for healthy skin to maximize the benefits.

So What Are The Top Supplements For Your Hair, Skin And Nails?

When it comes to addressing the specific issues related to nails, hair and skin, there are three supplements that have been proven to deliver extremely effective results. These include:

  • Biotin

Biotin is especially beneficial for encouraging protein production for nail growth when absorbed in the core of the nail bed. It also delivers valuable benefits for luxuriously flowing hair by promoting healthier texture and providing protection against scalp flaking and dryness while increasing the elasticity of hair to prevent breakage. Biotin is especially beneficial for people who are concerned with brittle nails or thinning hair.

  • Vitamin B

One of the best vitamins for skin, Vitamin B is known for delivering infinite skin care benefits in people suffering from severe skin problems such as acne. A powerful antioxidant for the skin, Vitamin B helps in eliminating bacteria from the skin’s surface. That’s not all it also helps in balancing the testosterone levels to help keep acne related problems at bay. A deficiency of this vitamin is one of the major causes of frequent acne outbursts, so make sure you get sufficient doses of this vitamin with a well-balanced diet combined with quality supplements.

  • Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 fatty acids are known for effectively combatting common hair problems, such as dry and damaged hair, flaky scalp and thinning of hair. It’s DHA and EPA content works to add superior luster, elasticity and volume to dull and lifeless strands, thereby promoting hair growth. Furthermore, omega-3 fatty acids help protect and repair the skin cells, nourishing the skin inside out. Omega-3s can even protect the skin from the damaging effects of overexposure to harmful ultraviolet radiations.

Other Vitamins Offering Incredible Beauty Benefits

Instead of trying to improve your appearance superficially through products that ultimately prove damaging, it is advisable you provide the much needed nourishment from within. There are a host of essential minerals and vitamins that contribute to the over-all health and well-being of the human body. And when we talk about the health of skin, nails and hair, taking the right supplements can just do wonders!

  • Vitamin A

Vitamin A helps maintain a rejuvenated and smooth skin and is especially recommended for preventive skin care purposes for acne-prone skin.

  • Vitamin C

Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin that is extremely important for skin collagen production. So make sure you integrate sufficient quantities of this vitamin in your diet and maintain proper Vitamin C levels in your body through supplement intake.

  • Vitamin E

A great antioxidant, Vitamin E is known for its anti-inflammatory properties. This makes it important for soothing the inflammatory symptoms in people with psoriasis or eczema.

Given the hair, skin and nail benefits of various supplements, it should be noted that a good amount of vitamins and supplements available in the market are harmless. However, it is extremely important for you to consult your health care provider before starting on any type of regimen especially if you’re already taking some other medications, as certain additives can interact leading to adverse effects.