Archive for category Vitamins
3 Vitamins to Watch While Pregnant
When you are pregnant, sorting through all the nutrition information can be difficult. There are certain nutrients that need to be increased during pregnancy, but on the same note you want to be careful of over supplementing other nutrients.
Here are 3 Vitamins to watch when you are expecting.
1. Vitamin A – This vitamin requires a balancing act. It is important during pregnancy because it promotes growth of cells and tissues throughout the body. On the other hand it is easy to over-supplement with vitamin A. Research shows that excessive amounts from supplements (10,000 IU daily) increases the risk of birth defects. Most over the counter multi-vitamins exceed this level so it is important to make sure you take a pre-natal vitamin and check the label for the amount of Vitamin (most prenatal vitamins will provide a lower amount of Vitamin A than regular multivitamins). You’ll also want to avoid any antioxidant supplements as they are also typically high in Vitamin A. There are even food products that have vitamins added such as sports bars like balance bars, or cliff bars that can lead you to go over the limit.
Your best bet is to stick to a safe prenatal vitamin, skip any foods that have vitamin A added in large amounts, and eat foods high in beta carotene. Eating foods rich in beta carotene isn’t a concern. Beta Carotene will not convert to Vitamin A when blood levels of Vitamin A are normal. This is our bodies own natural monitoring system. Foods rich in beta carotene include carrots, sweet potatoes, dark greens like spinach, kale, turnip, or collard greens, and winter squash. Read the rest of this entry »
Hair Vitamins
Healthy, shiny hair catches the attention of each and everyone. Beautiful hair has always been a sign of beauty, which is evident from the various tips given in various medical scriptures in every culture and country. Hair, in order, to look beautiful calls for proper nourishment, which does not come merely by use of cosmetics but also by intake of proper nutrients and minerals. Hair vitamins are particularly suited for this purpose. They have to be used as a supplement of a proper diet not only to ensure proper growth, but also to protect hair against damage caused by external weather conditions, pollution, stress, and illness.
Vitamins that are important for healthy and proper growth of hair are Vitamin A, as it helps in the production of healthy sebum in the scalp, Vitamin E, which increases scalp circulation, Vitamin C, which acts as an antioxidant, Biotin, which produces Keratin, Insitol, which helps in keeping hair follicles healthy, Niacin, which promotes scalp circulation, and pantothenic acid.
To prevent graying of hair and hair loss, it is advisable to take Para-Aminoenzoic acid, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin B12. All these vitamins essential for healthy and lustrous hair can be derived from various fruits and vegetables such as pineapple, strawberries, kiwis, potatoes, vegetable oil, soybeans, dried beans, eggs, liver, rice, fish, turkey, and red meat. Read the rest of this entry »