What are the Nutritional Needs?

Nutrition as it applies to our daily lives means that we take in what we need to maintain our body’s healthy state. Nutrition has become an important word thanks to the involvement of the USDA in our daily food requirements, and the FDA’s involvement in determining what is and is not dangerous for us to consume.
But what is our responsibility in the nutrition game? Do we understand what our nutritional requirements are, how to fulfill those requirements, and how to look for real nutritional value in our foods?

I’m not sure that nutrition has been successfully addressed in its own right. We hear nutrition in relation to our vitamin intake, our fortified cereals and milk, and in the context that we need “nutritional value” from our food choices. But what really is nutrition when applied to our daily bodily functions?

Today, we must determine how much nourishment we need, how much physical exercise we need, and how best to accomplish those ends. Calorie needs, nutritional needs, physical needs, and education about those needs now is information we should all understand, at least as it applies to our individual self.

If you will visit your local doctor, library, or fitness center, there is massive amounts of information available to help educate and to help you make good health choices, no matter what the age group.

Nutrition refers to the nurturing of our body, in our ability to keep it healthy and functioning as it is supposed to do. Our ability to provide the body with all it’s necessary food, vitamins, and minerals so that we continue to thrive in our daily life processes.

If you were to take a cross section of the population, and check for adequate levels of the most used and fortified vitamins and minerals, you would probably find that as high as 80% or the population is lacking in a least one of the vitamins and minerals.

Now, that doesn’t sound too bad, until you stop to think, what if it’s calcium? A calcium deficiency brings on osteoporosis, a deteriorating of the bone. This disease alone costs millions in medical expense to the population.

Can you see how a little more cooperation and open-minded participation on the part of our medical field could result in far fewer health problems? It would also have provided the general population with a viable way to discern their nutrition, vitamin and mineral needs, accurately.

So how do we determine that we are providing the essential nutritional needs? That knowledge comes by educating ourselves about what our individual needs are, the needs of our family, and then taking that knowledge and applying it to the foods we buy, that we prepare, and that our families consume.

Quite often, our vitamin and mineral needs outweigh our caloric needs. In those instances, we turn to manufactured vitamins and minerals to fill the gap. This is a part of our nutritional needs, also.

Nutrition is one of the most complex areas to gain useful knowledge about, because there are so many components, and because each person has their own individual needs.

Women needs differ from those of men, and older women’s needs differ from those of a young girl. As we age, our needs constantly change; therefore continual education about nutrition is a fact of life. The nutritional needs of a cardiac patient are different than those of a healthy, middle-aged hiker.

Can you see the complexity of the situation now? What we really need is to develop a scale that determines the nutritional needs of our bodies on a cellular level, so that as we age, as our physical condition changes, or our health changes, we can recalculate our needs, based on cellular changes and content in our body.

Individuality is the key to understanding each person’s nutritional needs, and then working to educate us is the key to fulfilling those nutritional needs. Good nutrition should be the ultimate goal of every person alive.

About the author : Nishanth Reddy, is an author and publisher of many health related websites. For more information on how to be fit and healthy visit his website at http://www.fitness-wellness-guide.com

Are you GREEN?

     GREEN is all the buzz nowadays. It is no longer just a color but a word to describe environmental movements, ways of living, business models, products, and anything and everything that has to do with taking better care of Mother Earth. There is more awareness and concern now about the future of the Earth than in years past. From grassroots campaigns to Capitol Hill. How about you, are you green? Take the short quiz below and find out.



Quiz: Are You Green?

Test your environmental IQ

Find out what the newest earth-watching satellites tell us about our wild planet.

Happy Mother's Day!

(Pass the time away. Watch wheatgrass growing on a tray)

What Mother’s Day Means to our Moms

Have you ever noticed how much moms look forward to celebrating Mother's Day, even more than celebrating their own birthday?
It isn't because their birthday is about getting a year older - after all, we get older every day, not just on our birthdays.
Mothers enjoy Mother's Day because they want to be acknowledged and appreciated for all they have done for their children throughout the years as their mom.

If you’re a parent, you know that most parental good deeds go unnoticed. Mother’s Day is the perfect time to think back on all that your mother has gone through for you. Remember the financial strain your mother endured to get you those braces? How she made you eat those carrots and green beans so you wouldn’t grow into an adult who only eats red meat for supper? All those times she told you not to swear so you wouldn't develop bad habits, even when you caught her saying one once in a while? And all the worrying she did over you when you first started school, first started to date, and took that big move away from home.

For those of us who aren't moms, such sacrifices and unconditional love can seem a little hard to relate to. Mother's Day can seem like just another holiday that we don’t get off work, and you just have to buy a card, a few flowers, and then you're off the hook. But for your mom, remember that the day has much more meaning. She looks to you to be with her after all the times she was there for you.

This year, surprise your mom and d o something special for her this Mother's Day. It isn’t the present that she’s looking forward to, it’s you. Appreciate her for all that she’s done, and all that she means to you.

Take Your Vitamins - But Take Them Sensibly

     The first thing to remember about vitamins is that pills or supplements shouldn't be your only source of vitamins. Nothing - not even a daily vitamin regimen - is a substitute for eating right. Some people tend to eat less healthy because of their lifestyles. They're just too busy to stop for a real meal. Dieting is a common problem because those on a strict diet may not be getting nearly all the vitamins the body needs to stay healthy.

If those situations sound familiar, there are some things you can do.

Don't do crash diets or diets that require you to only eat a specific food. The grapefruit diet was popular a few years ago, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that it's not a good idea from a health standpoint.

Talk to your doctor or to a dietician. Make a healthy plan and stick with it. Supplement your diet with regular exercise and be sure that you're eating the foods that will keep you healthy long enough to enjoy that slim new body you're working on.

If you think you're just too busy to eat healthy, think again. There are dozens of shortcuts toward healthy foods and healthy meals that will get you the daily recommended dose of most vitamins. Instead of eating chips or a candy bar for a snack, eat an apple, a banana, a handful of grapes, cherries or strawberries. These are completely portable, just like a candy bar. Many convenience stores are recognizing that customers want these healthier snacks and they're offering them at the counter.

Instead of stopping at a convenience store or fast food restaurant, allow yourself five extra minutes and make a quick stop at a grocer for your snack. Choose veggies - cooked are often an option if the grocery has a deli.

Make yourself a sandwich. Think sandwiches aren't healthy? Think again. If you choose wisely, you're getting meat, veggies (think bigger than just lettuce and tomato) and bread - and all the vitamins you'd get from most sit-down meals.

The next time you think that just popping a pill is the best way to get the vitamins your body needs, think again. It might be easier than taking time for a sandwich, but it's certainly not healthier. Vitamin pills and supplements should do just that - supplement your daily food intake.

[ Article from Lbry.com ]

Does Natural Pain Relief Really Exist?

     Sometimes, however, pain isn’t done away with so easily - it remains with us despite all efforts to banish it. This is called ‘chronic’ pain, distinguishable from ‘acute’ pain by its persistence. Common examples of chronic pain include backaches, migraine headaches, and arthritis.
     The most popular treatment for chronic pain are prescription medications, but these often have adverse side effects ranging from nausea to fatigue, and can cease to be effective once a patient builds a tolerance.
Acupuncture has been used as a form of natural pain relief and cure for many chronic conditions for over two thousand years. Originating in China, acupuncture involves piercing the skin with thin needles on specific points of the body. Patients have claimed acupuncture has proven effective in treating ailments such as neck pain, migraine headaches, arthritic pain, and even depression.Herbal remedies offer another time-tested alternative to conventional therapies, providing natural pain relief to sufferers without many of the unwanted side effects of conventional medicines. There usually several herbal treatments for a particular condition; popular herbal remedies include emu oil, which can alleviate the pain of arthritis, and good old Vitamin E, which helps minimize scarring. The downside of herbal treatments is that they often take longer to achieve noticeable results; the upside is that you aren’t introducing man-made foreign compounds into your body, and run less risk of side effects or damaging your overall health.
     Although it may sound like well-worn advice with little glitter or pizzazz, perhaps the best advice is to take care of yourself - get proper nutrition by eating fewer processed foods and more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Take care to get enough sleep each night, and take time out of each day for exercise - even simple activities like taking the stairs at work or a walk around the block go a long way towards improving your health.