Vitamin Weightloss Shop Losing Weight

Obesity rates among the poor reached a 147% increase in 2002 obesity according to medicinenet.com. This made those at the poverty level one of the fastest growing obesity group in the country. Being obese for those at the poverty line is due to make circumstances which are out of their control. Many poor families report some of the reasons they let their weight fluctuate is because of lack of exercise, food choices and no access to health food stores or supermarkets.

Living in government assisted housing, commonly known as "projects" are typical housing for those who are poor. The projects play host to gangs, shootings, and other more serious crimes. Many children and families report this as the number one reason they do not get out an exercise, they are too scared to be outside at all. Projects often do not have playgrounds, sidewalks or lawns where families or children can play. If there is a playground near by often it is a central meeting place for gangs and gang activity, again making it a less than ideal hang out for children or individuals looking for a place to exercise.

Food stamps and other food assistance programs are available to those who need financial help. However, trying to eat healthy on food stamps is near impossible. Often those who use foods stamps have many mouths to feed and they need to stretch the money as far as it will go. The Department of Human Services suggests buy cheep staple foods. Some of which are macaroni and cheese, Cup O'Noodle and other starches such as pasta. A cheep and easy dinner might be Hamburger Helper which is extremely unhealthy but food stamp shoppers don't care, as long as it is food in the table to feed their families.

Poor families are not generally thinking about buying organic foods and other food substitutes such as Egg Beaters or tofu as they are too expensive and food stamps generally do not cover expensive items when there are other alternatives such as real eggs. Many times low income families don't even bother with a grocery list of items as there are no grocery stores anywhere near their homes and lugging $400.00 worth of groceries on a bus alone is not easy.

Large cities such as New York, Chicago or Los Angles have health foods stores on every corner and large supermarkets going up everyday, however this is all happening in the suburbs not in the inner city. Many project tenets go grocery shopping at Circle K's or Quickie Marts since they are close to their homes. Buying fresh vegetables and fruits, food alternatives such as Egg Beaters and tofu are not at things someone can buy at the local Circle K. Sciencedaily.com reports one of the leading reasons for obesity among the poor is lack of grocery stores in their neighborhoods. There are no farmers markets offering organic produce or health food stores with tofu, these people get what they can at corner markets.

Often people make many excuses why they have become obese. Sometimes it is because they are too busy and can't find time to eat right an exercise. However being poor should be no excuse for being over weight. The odds are defiantly against those in a low income bracket. It has become more important then ever to take care of yourself regardless of your income level. The rising costs of health care are not going down, and by being obese you are not part of the solution.

Posted under Weight Loss

An important principle in nutrition is synergy. This means the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. When we eat food provided by nature we are consuming a wide array of vitamins, minerals, protein, fats, carbohydrates and thousands of other chemicals besides.

When we ingest supplements, we are mostly taking only a very tiny amount of all the different chemicals found in foodstuffs into our bodies. A high dose of a very small amount of nutrients is not synergy, and is not a food supplement. It's drug nutrition.

A high percentage of pharmaceuticals are derived from plants. The pharmacologist takes the most powerful portion of the plant and uses this to make the drug. On the other hand, a herbalist will use all of the plant. This is much safer and includes all the synergistic factors contained in the whole plant.

As with the herbal example, to create a nutritional supplement, the pharmacist will extract the most active part of the nutrient complex and discard the rest. This can no longer be regarded as a dietary supplement. Instead it is a weak drug.

Ascorbic Acid or Vitamin C?

Look on your supplement label. Is vitamin C only provided as ascorbic acid? But this is not vitamin C. This is only part of the vitamin C complex. A good supplement will contain not just water soluble ascorbic acid, but fat soluble ascorbyl palmitate, as well as mineral ascorbates, bioflavonoids and fruit extracts. In this way you will also get the flavonols, flavonones and flavones that are such an important part of the vitamin C complex.

Vitamin E Is Not Only Alpha Tocopherol

Is vitamin E only provided as alpha tocopherol? But this is not vitamin E. This is only part of the vitamin E complex. There are three other tocopherols and four tocotrienols that are also part of the vitamin E complex. Taking alpha tocopherol alone is not just unbalanced, it can deplete the other parts of the vitamin E complex, reducing their potential health benefits.

Beta Carotene Is Not Vitamin A

Many supplements provide pro vitamin A in the form of beta carotene. While this does convert into vitamin A, it is only one fraction of the carotenoid complex which comprises 600 or more other pigments.

An early pioneer of clinical nutrition was Royal Lee. Back in 1940 he said that natural vitamin complexes contain everything that is contained in nature provided foods. If your supplement is synthetic, containing chemically purified nutrients then you are ingesting not vitamins but fractions of vitamins.

So the next time you look for a nutritional supplement to take, ask yourself whether you are ingesting food or swallowing a drug.

Posted under Vitamins

Are you plagued by tiredness? Do others say you snore? Are you at least slightly overweight? If so, you could have sleep apnea.

If all these are true, don't wait! Sleep apnea could be shortening your life. Have your doctor prescribe a sleep study to find out whether you have sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a condition where you are holding your breath and then gasping for air man times a night. Here's one reason why you shouldn't wait: it will shorten your life. You are at increased risk of stroke, heart attack, and other cardiovascular disease including aneurism. Here's the other reason why you shouldn't wait: there's treatment.

Sleep apnea is caused by the collapse of the airway while breathing in. This condition happens when excess fatty tissue lining the airway causes the airway to lose elasticity. It is a condition generally caused by excess poundage. Snoring usually occurs also.

The airway closes. The sleeper struggles for breath. The oxygen level in the blood drops. As a result, blood pressure spikes. The sleeper begins to awaken. A semi-conscious effort opens the airway, and the breath is finally allowed in. This cycle can happen several times per minute. If breathing stops for 10 seconds, sleep apnea is diagnosed.

Your cardiovascular system will wear out from the constantly spiking blood pressure. Your rest will be ruined because of the constant near-waking.

You probably are not aware that you are holding your breath while sleeping. What is obvious to you is the tiredness that comes with it.

The sudden rise in blood pressure many times a night is what can kill you, by leading to heart disease or stroke.

So, what can you do about it?

An effective treatment method has been developed over the past few decades. The continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device consists of a face mask, an air hose, and a fan in side a box. The fan supplies pressure through the hose to your airway. It's not too much pressure--you can easily breathe out -- but when you breathe in, it boosts the airway pressure enough to prevent collapse.

One downside is that the mask can be uncomfortable. But a variety of suppliers offer options now, one of which will probably fit your face.

The CPAP might limit your activities, too, because you always have to wear it, even if you are traveling or camping.

The fan makes a noise, but it's a white noise that may actually help you fall asleep.

So, do a quick risk analysis. Is the risk of early death worth the inconvenience of wearing a mask and finding an electric outlet whenever you fall asleep?

Posted under Weight Loss