Vegetables and fruits are rich in nutrients, low in calories and high in fiber. Diets high in vegetables and fruits meet vitamin, mineral and fiber needs without adding a lot of calories. Diets rich in vegetables and fruits have been shown to lower blood pressure and improve other cardiovascular disease risk factors.

The American Heart Association continues to recommend the following to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease:

• Consume an overall healthy diet
• Aim for a healthy body weight
• Aim for recommended levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and triglycerides
• Aim for a normal blood pressure and blood glucose level
• Be physically active
• Avoid use of and exposure to tobacco products
• Drink alcohol in moderation

A healthy diet includes:

• Eating a variety of whole (fresh, frozen, or canned) vegetables and fruits
• Eat more deeply colored vegetables and fruit such as spinach, carrots, peaches and berries (they tend to contain higher amounts of vitamins and minerals than others such as potatoes and corn)
• Choose whole fruits over juice most often (whole fruit contains more fiber)
• At least half of your grain intake should come from whole-grain foods
• Reduce intake of beverages and foods with added sugars (primarily to lower total calorie intake and to get enough of the nutrients your body needs)

Recommended servings per day for a healthy person needing 2,000 calories each day includes:

• 6 to 8 servings of grains (at least half of the servings should be whole-grain foods)
• 8 to 10 servings of vegetables and fruits (about ½ cup counts as a serving)

Cholesterol:

Cholesterol is an important part of a healthy body, however, high levels of cholesterol in the blood, is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, which leads to heart attack. Typically the body makes all the cholesterol it needs, so people do not need to consume extra to get enough.

Some of the excess dietary cholesterol is removed from the body through the liver. The American Heart Association recommends that you limit your average daily cholesterol intake to less than 300 milligrams. If you have heart disease, they recommend limiting your daily intake to less than 200 milligrams. Everyone should remember that by watching how much cholesterol they take in each day can help significantly lower total dietary cholesterol intake. Especially watch foods high in saturated fat.

Regular physical activity is helpful in increasing HDL cholesterol in some people. Higher HDL cholesterol is related to a lower risk of heart disease. Physical activity also helps control weight, diabetes and high blood pressure. Physical inactivity is a major risk factor for heart disease.

Tobacco smoke is among the six major risk factors of heart disease. Smoking lowers HDL cholesterol levels and increases the tendency for blood to clot.

Source: American Heart Association

Disclaimer: *This article is not meant to diagnose, treat or cure any kind of a health problem. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Always consult with your health care provider about any kind of a health problem and especially before beginning any kind of an exercise routine.

This article is FREE to publish with the resource box. Article written 4-2007.

Author: Connie Limon, Trilogy Field Representative. Visit http://nutritionandhealthhub.com and sign up for a weekly nutrition and health tip. The article collection is available as FREE reprints for your newsletters, websites or blog. Visit http://www.healthylife27.com to purchase an array of superior quality, safe and effective products inspired by nature, informed by science and created to improve the health of people, pets and the planet.

In this article you will learn some simple nutrition facts about alcohol, antioxidants, caffeine and calcium.

Too much alcohol can raise the levels of fats in the blood, lead to high blood pressure, heart failure and increased calories. Too many calories lead to obesity and a higher risk of developing diabetes. Excessive and binge drinking can lead to stroke.

The American Heart Association recommends if you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. Moderation means an average of one to two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women. A drink is equivalent to 12 oz. of beer, 4 oz. of wine, 1.5 oz. of 80-proof spirits, or 1 oz. of 100-proof spirits. Drinking more than this increases all the health risks as noted above. In addition, it is not possible to predict in which people alcoholism will become a problem. The American Heart Association cautions people not to start drinking if they do not already drink alcohol.

Pregnant women should not drink alcohol in any form; it can harm the baby seriously.

Antioxidant vitamins

There has been a lot of research recently focused on how antioxidant vitamins may reduce cardiovascular disease risk. The data is incomplete; however, up to 30 percent of Americans are taking some form of antioxidant supplement.

The American Heart Association does not recommend people using antioxidant vitamin supplements until more complete data is available. They recommend people eat a variety of nutrient-rich foods daily from all the basic food groups. Eat a variety of foods low in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol to provide a natural source of these vitamins, minerals and fiber.

Caffeine

The metabolic effects of caffeine include:

• Stimulates the central nervous system
• Releases free fatty acids from adipose (fatty) tissue
• Affects the kidneys by increasing urination, which can lead to dehydration

Caffeine is found in coffee, tea, soft drinks, chocolate and some nuts.

The American Heart Association says moderate coffee drinking (1-2 cups per day does not seem to be harmful.

Caffeine withdrawal symptoms may occur 12 to 24 hours after the last dose of caffeine in individuals who are habitual caffeine drinkers. The most prominent symptom is headache. Other withdrawal symptoms may include:

• Anxiety
• Fatigue
• Drowsiness
• Depression

Although many studies show there is a direct link between caffeine, coffee drinking and coronary heart disease, the results are conflicting.

Calcium

To help reduce the risk of developing the bone disease osteoporosis most physicians encourage women to eat fat-free and low-fat dairy products to get calcium.

The American Heart Association recommends women should aim to consume between 1,000 and 1,200 milligrams of calcium each day. Excellent sources of calcium include:

• Fat-free milk
• Low-fat dairy products

Other sources of calcium include:

• Eating vegetable greens like spinach, kale and broccoli
• Some legumes and soybean products

To date, scientists do not have enough information to know if calcium intake affects the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Adequate daily intake according to data from the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine includes:

• 210 mg for infants from birth to 6 months, 270 mg for age 6 months to 1 year
• 500 mg for children age 1-3; 800 mg for ages 4-8
• 1,300 mg for children and adolescents age 9-18
• 1,000 mg for adults ages 19-50 (for maximal calcium retention)
• 1,200 mg for adults ages 51 and older
• 1300 mg for women who are pregnant and under age 19; 1000 mg for pregnant women ages 19-50

Source: American Heart Association

Disclaimer: *This article is not meant to diagnose, treat or cure any kind of a health problem. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Always consult with your health care provider about any kind of a health problem and especially before beginning any kind of an exercise routine.

This article is FREE to publish with the resource box. Article written 4-2007.

Author: Connie Limon, Trilogy Field Representative. Visit http://nutritionandhealthhub.com and sign up for a weekly nutrition and health tip. The article collection is available as FREE reprints for your newsletters, websites or blog. Visit http://www.healthylife27.com to purchase an array of superior quality, safe and effective products inspired by nature, informed by science and created to improve the health of people, pets and the planet.

My husband and I were talking to his mother recently about empty foods. She had never heard the term before. His mother is living with us for a short time while her home is being renovated. Admittedly, I have stopped by her home to scout out the progress. You can smile. It has not been that bad though.

His mother’s preference for sweets is what sparked the conversation. One of her church friends gave her a few home made sugar cookies. At seventy five years old she hardly needs to be eating home made sugar cookies.

As Mom began to tuck into a cookie, my husband firmly advised, “Mom, please stop. Those empty foods are bad for you. They are full of sugar and white flour.”

Up went her defensive shield and she responded, “I have been eating these cookies all my life. They have not hurt me yet.”

My husband gently responded, “Are you forgetting your friend Arthur?” He meant arthritis.

Not having any of that, Mom raised the decibels one octave, “My doctor never said that my arthritis came from eating these cookies. You think you know it all. These cookies are not empty, they are good.”

My husband calmly explained to his mom the meaning of empty foods. He told his Mom about the cookie sugar buzz she would feel and then the sugar crash. In addition, his mother is a lover of drink. Mom mixes water, root beer, a slice of fresh lemon and sugar to taste. According to mom, she will wash down the cookie with the root beer drink.

Later in the day I asked my husband to cut his mother some slack. I felt that the cookies and drink were her comfort foods. This was the first time away from her home. While we did our best to make her comfortable, it was a struggle. She had her neighbor check on the workmen daily. From those reports Mom felt that they were a lazy bunch. They were not moving fast enough for her.

Her intake of these comfort foods increased. She ate upside down cakes, sweet breads, her favorite sugar cookies, chocolates and even candy. My husband asked me to stop buying goodies. However, the church ladies kept the goodies coming. I admit, I was enjoying them too!

The extra sugar intake threw her system off and her feet began to swell and they became painful. The doctor asked about Moms diet and my husband happily let her know everything. Mom’s doctor said that her kidneys were not firing on all cylinders. They were causing a backup of impurities. My husband had a firm word with the church crew and much to my dismay the goodie train was derailed.

The doctor told Mom that she needed to take the proper fuels on board. If she gave her body a chance, it would respond. She needed to be aware of what she ate. The doctor asked Mom to drastically cut her sugar intake and see how she felt the next week.

I am glad to say that with the encouragement of her church friends and us, the swelling has all but gone and Mom seems to be a bit more active and less moody. All my husband really did was cut out her sweets, sugars and white flour.

If you suffer with obesity, you must remember that you only have one body. Fiona Beckett desires that overweight people learn the best food choices in order to have healthy bodies. If you do too, please go directly to her premier weight management site. And remember, if you destroy your body with bad food choices, where else would you live? Make a fresh start at: http://www.clefinfodesigns.com/freshst

The thyroid gland is extremely important, and your health can improve if your thyroid is treated and supported properly.

When thyroid medication is given in the correct dosage, a patient’s energy level, depression level, cravings and patience are improved.

Let me start from the beginning. TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) is the most common thyroid test. The normal scale for a TSH result is .5 to 5 (sometimes .5 to 5.5). This means that when your doctor tests your TSH level, if the result comes back in between those two numbers, they tell you your “results were normal” and that’s the end of it.

Don’t stop there!

What I would suggest to you is to call your doctor’s office, ask the nurse to look up the test results for the TSH level on your chart (assuming you’ve had your thyroid tested–if not, get it tested) and find out what your number came back as.

Most people do best with a number between 1 and 2. If yours came up as a 3 or 4, you are borderline deficient in your thyroid gland.

This is going to deplete your energy, add to your depression, make losing weight nearly impossible, and increase your irritability.

If you are borderline deficient, you have two options:

1) Go on thyroid medication.

2) Work at rejuvenating your thyroid’s ability to function on its own.

The first option may necessitate that you take thyroid medication for the rest of your life. And it can be a long process to find the right dose, because most doctors want you to be on a dose for 2 months before getting retested. Then you have to adjust from there.

There are better methods for finding the right dose for you. If you are on the correct dosage, there are little or no side effects to thyroid medication, so this may be the route you wish to go.

But here’s a warning: when you start taking any thyroid medication, your body will shut down its own production of thyroid hormone, so that you will eventually need to take more and more until you’ve basically replaced most of your body’s natural production of thyroid hormone. This is why, once you go on medication, you will most likely need to stay on it for good.

One more note on thyroid medication. If you do take thyroid medication, I recommend that you ask for Armour Thyroid medication. It is a natural thyroid medication from an animal source that has T3 and T4 thyroid in it.

Most synthetic thyroid medications have only T3, which your body needs to convert to T4, in order to utilize it. If your body isn’t converting T3 to T4 well, the thyroid medications that provide only T3 will not work well for you, either.

I recommend the book “Thyroid Power: Ten Steps to Total Health” by Richard Shames and Karilee H. Shames. This book will help you and your doctor decide which thyroid tests to conduct and how to interpret test results to find the very best level for you. It also goes into more complicated issues like having high anti-thyroid antibodies.

No matter which direction you take as a result of a thyroid test, be sure to do your research and find the best solution for you.

Anita Murray is a Professional Health Coach, Nutritional Consultant, and Founding Editor/Owner of http://www.FibromyalgiaHope.com

To learn more about natural ways to support your health, take this unique, Interactive E-course, entitled “8 PROVEN STRATEGIES FOR LIVING FREE OF FIBROMYALGIA”. Discover simple ideas that will change the course of your illness forever.

This entire article is available for reprint electronically or in print, for free, as long as it is done in its entirety, and the bylines are included.

You have made the commitment to exercise regularly and settle into a healthy lifestyle. It is not always easy to keep up with working out on a regular basis so providing yourself with an energy boost prior to your workout will make the workout go more smoothly, you will feel better, and therefore, are more likely to keep it going.

There are many perfect fuel foods for energy boosts and muscle repair, but women’s bodies are different than men’s. Here are just five of the best fitness fuel foods you should be eating before a workout.

Yogurt: Yogurt gives you an energy spike perfect for before a workout and it is easy to digest. It is pre-workout food at its best.

Cereal: Fuel up with whole grain cereal and fat free milk. It will give you more energy for a better and longer workout.

Oranges: One orange has all the vitamin C requirements for the day and they are portable, perfect for eating on the go. Being rich in vitamin C means they help repair muscle tissue after a workout.

Ground Flaxseed: Flaxseed is fiber packed and a daily dose of 1-2 tablespoons is all you need. Toss it into your cereal and you won’t even notice it is there, it cannot get any easier than that.

Bananas: Bananas are high in potassium, which you need to replace fluids lost from sweating. The carbohydrates in bananas also provide an energy boost to sustain a good workout.

Super charge your workouts with a little fitness fuel beforehand and you’ll find yourself having more energy for a longer and better workout. It will not take long to see the results in the mirror.

Mom2Mom Magazine, http://www.mom2momlounge.com is an online magazine written by moms, for moms. Find mom-relevant issues, insights, product reviews, fun ideas, fashion and beauty, family travel, health, recipes, humor and more. Each issue is filled with realistic, quick and easy reads that matter to Moms.

Do between meal snacks have you heading for the vending machine and threatening to undo your healthy eating and exercising regime? Let’s face it, time is limited when you are a busy mom, working or not, time is precious and limited and snacks on the go are often the only way to get any nutrition.

For most of us, quick, easy, and chocolate make for the perfect quick snack, but are not so kind to the waistline, nor do they fit into the diet. There is a compromise and here are 3 great snack ideas that fit the bill. Quick and easy, portable, chocolate, and healthy. They are the perfect snack!

Fiber Filled:
Who doesn’t love a good smoothie? Problem is, they are a pain to make, the combination of ingredients, firing up the blender, and storing it for on the go ease. The solution? Try Lightfull Satiety Smoothies. An 11 ounce shake with 6 grams of protein and fiber in a super creamy chocolate fudge flavor. The best part being because they are processed at ultra high temperatures, refrigeration is optional.

Protein Crunch:
There is nothing easier than a quick snack bar to hit the spot and at 150 calories and a coating of chocolate over peanuts or almonds, the Kellogs Sweet and Salty Bar is the perfect on the go snack.

Vitamin Packed:
It may look tiny, but at 120 calories and packed with 15 vitamins and minerals and 25% of your daily calcium requirement, the Slim Fast Optima Rich Chewy Caramel Snack Bar fills satisfies your growling stomach.

No excuses for reaching for the candy bar or chips now. Stock up on these healthy, tasty snacks for a quick and easy on the go snack.

Mom2Mom Magazine, http://www.mom2momlounge.com is an online magazine written by moms, for moms. Find mom-relevant issues, insights, product reviews, fun ideas, fashion and beauty, family travel, health, recipes, humor and more. Each issue is filled with realistic, quick and easy reads that matter to Moms.

Personal tuition is much different than that found in the
traditional classroom.

I have been exposed to both.

I spent 7 years in university training - sitting in the classroom,
attending lectures and reading the required texts - there wasn’t
much time for personal interaction with the professors.

During my four years of personal training under the guidance of the
eminent Naturopath, Kenneth S. Jaffrey, I was introduced to a much
different method of learning.

I was given the obligatory reading list of subjects that covered
the training of a Naturopath in the science and art of pure
naturopathy - but I was also introduced to the dialectical method
of thinking and diagnostics.

Some might recognize this method as the ‘Socratic’ method for
determining the answer to questions and problems.

Sometimes, upon arriving at Mr. Jaffrey’s cottage on his tropical
Island paradise, he would greet me with a flourish, brandishing a
letter, recently received from an inquiring client or friend.

He would ask me to read the letter and diagnose its contents.

The purpose of this action, as he was fond of saying, was to
determine where my thinking lay.

Once he had determined my level of understanding on a certain topic
he was then able to guide and direct me to a deeper understanding
of my studies.

To-day I received a letter from a reader, asking to be dropped from
further correspondence on matters of natural health.

As I read and quickly re-read the letter, I realized that I was
approaching my diagnosis of its contents in much the same manner
that Mr. Jaffrey used with myself.

I thought that perhaps I might use this letter as an example of how
many people think about and are taught about the rules of health.

Here is the letter:

“I didn’t find the newsletter to be what I was looking for.
That and your most recent one of “eat only two meals a day and no
snacking.”
I find this most unreasonable as most people say you should have 6
small meals a day to keep your metabolism revved continuously.
Plus it’s almost impossible to eat just two small meals a day and
that’s it - I think your body would go into starvation mode from
too few calories.

Here is my ‘internal rebuttal.’

Unfortunately, many people today are looking for someone to take
responsibility for their health - that is the business of ‘going to
see your health practitioner.’

‘Most people say’ and ‘they say’ - is a shoddy and shocking
indication of the ‘herd mentality.’

Most people are sick - if for no other reason than they have not
been introduced to the ‘Causes of Health.’

The health educator claims no cure for disease, and in fact, refutes
the medical concept of ‘disease.’

Instead it exposes open minds to the notion that if there is a
cause for ‘disease symptoms’ then surely there must be a cause for
health and happiness.

On that premise we teach the basic laws of health, viz; living
foods, the proper use of air, water and sunlight, exercise and
rest, mental poise and the proper alignment of the spine.

In regards to diet - yes! the discipline of restricting ones meals
to two or a maximum of three per day is almost impossible - for most
people.

Most people would rather be pandered and appeased with sloppy
habits and be allowed - and even congratulated for eating but one
meal per day - albeit that the meal is stretched over 6 sittings.

It takes a long time to digest a meal - approximately 6 hours.

Figure it out - how many digestive cycles can you fit into a 24
hour period - and please take into account the sleep cycle.

No one needs to ‘keep their metabolism revved’ - it sounds like a
race car trying to hit 300 km/hr down the straight.

All matter is in motion - that’s a fact Jack!

If this is true, then we don’t need to ‘do something’ to make it
go.

Au contraire! - what we need to do is ensure that the ingredients
we consume enable the body to perform at its peak.

It’s not impossible to eat only 2 meals per day - my wife and I have
been living in this manner for 25 years and suffer no ‘lack of’ or
‘deficiency there-of.’

And if you were to read the history of natural health you would
find that the idea of ‘abstemiousness in matters of diet’ is taken
for granted and accepted without question.

Starvation! - we don’t have starvation in the western world - we
have excess and a surfeit of feeding - one has to venture into 3rd
world countries to see the signs of true starvation.

And finally, the concept of caloric intake is old hat in the health
field.

We are more concerned with the quality of food than the quantity.

If you give your body a plant-based diet of foods grown on nutrient
rich soil and you eat these foods during their natural cycles you
will provide your body with ALL the necessary ingredients to attain
to a high level of health and happiness.

I do hope that Mr. Jaffrey is looking over my shoulder - nodding,
and in his own measured style, whispering - ‘that’ll do me.’

I hope that it does for you also.

All the best in thinking about your health - naturally.

Kevin Hinton is a renowned Natural Health Educator & Advocator who has assisted a broad range of people to reinvigorate their lives through common-sense Natural Health practices.
He is a trusted advisor to many in the corporate world in Australia and North America who recognize the life-improving value of Natural Health habits.
His experience in the field reveals that adopting practical Natural Health habits usually helps drive success in other areas of life.
Visit Kevin at: http://www.thehealtheducator.com and sign up for a FREE world class newsletter.

I have been working out for many years, but I only recently started paying a lot of attention to what I eat. After all, just working out was enough to keep my weight under control and keep me in good health. Do not get me wrong – I was not exactly on the junk food diet. I ate a reasonably healthy meal plan, and only binged about one day a week. Nonetheless, I did not realize that I could have been greatly increasing my athletic performance by eating sports nutrition supplements. The problem is, once I discovered them, I was shocked by the price. I certainly ended up suffering from sticker shock!

You see, buying sports nutrition supplements can cost an outrageous amount of money. Unless you can find good discount sports nutrition, it might be outside of your price range. I know that it was for me when I first discovered it. Then I found a discount sports nutrition outlet store. It really changed the way I worked out and the way I ate. I knew that having good vitamin nutrition was healthy, but I did not know other things about nutrition supplements. Apparently, many minerals that are very good for your body and are essential for bodybuilding are left out of your standard diet. Unless you find good discount sports nutrition or are willing to pay top dollar for custom-made meal plans, you will not be able to get as effective a result as you would otherwise.

The only problem with buying discount sports nutrition is that you have to be a little but flexible about what you eat. Sometimes, for example, one form of protein will be very expensive while another form will be cheap. You have to be able to know the equivalents – what supplements can be substituted for each other – or else you will not be able to save money on your discount sports nutrition purchases.

The best way to buy discount sports nutrition when you are just starting off is to take a more experienced friend with you shopping. Anyone who has been bodybuilding seriously for a while knows all about the sports supplements, and what they help you out with. Some discount sports nutrition products will help you bulk up your muscles, for example, while other ones will help you develop a leaner, stronger physique. Usually, combining many different supplements works better than having any one in particular.

Ian Botham runs his own online sports goods mail order business as well as several sports related websites. check out this excellent guide to Sports Nutrition and start getting the body you want.
http://www.sports-nutrition.aerobic-activity.com

Because eliminating toxins can help heal the digestive tract and restore healthy liver function, regular internal cleansing and detoxification is essential for those who want to achieve digestive wellness and vibrant health.

Detoxification is a total-body process that involves each of the body’s seven channels of elimination—the colon, kidneys, skin, lungs, liver, lymphatic system and blood—each of which must be supported for complete detoxification to occur. The following are some of the most effective ways in which you can facilitate total-body cleansing and detoxification.

Dietary changes. Adhering to dietary guidelines is a very important part of detoxification. Toxins cannot be eliminated while they continue to enter the body. Because the kidneys are unable to function properly without sufficient water intake, drinking plenty of water during a cleanse is a necessity. Consuming a high-fiber diet that includes plenty of fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts and whole grains is also important. That is because fiber helps to absorb and eliminate toxins as it passes through the digestive tract.

Herbal cleansing programs. The use of herbs for internal cleansing may have begun with the Sumerians nearly 5,000 years ago. Likewise, many ancient cultures relied on herbs as their only medicine. Although there are countless herbs with medicinal properties, approximately 25 are used regularly for cleansing and detoxification. The fall into one of two categories—those used for purification and those used for revitalization. Purification herbs are used to purge the organ systems. Revitalizing herbs help soothe and strengthen the organs.

Saunas, steam baths. The skin—the body’s largest organ—eliminates waste via perspiration. Heat causes toxins to be released from the cells into the lymphatic fluid. Because sweat is manufactured from lymphatic fluid, the toxins from the lymph are released when the body perspires. Saunas (dry heat) or steam baths (wet heat) create sweat intentionally to help release toxins from the skin.

Colon hydrotherapy. Another way in which the colon can support the elimination process is through colon hydrotherapy. Hydrotherapy is water therapy, and colon hydrotherapy then is the therapeutic application of water into the colon. In contrast to a traditional enema, colon hydrotherapy involves repeated infusions of filtered, warm water into the colon. Many patients have been able to overcome chronic constipation problems through colon hydrotherapy. Unlike chemical laxatives, which may encourage dependency, colon hydrotherapy actually helps to tone the bowel so that it resumes normal function.

Nutrient supplementation. Supplementing the diet with extra vitamins and minerals, particularly those with antioxidant properties (vitamins A, C, E and the minerals selenium and zinc) and B vitamins, may prove beneficial. A multivitamin and mineral supplement may be used to support the body as it purges toxic chemicals.

Exercise and deep breathing.

Exercise is an important part of the detoxification process. Breathing deeply helps eliminate toxins from the cells, and since the lymphatic system is actually part of the immune system, it can also help enhance immunity.

Brenda Watson N.D., is among the foremost authorities in America today on natural digestive care and proper nutrition. She is the president of ReNew Life Formulas and the founder of five natural healthcare clinics specializing in internal cleansing, detoxification and healthy weight loss diet. A renowned lecturer, media presence and best-selling author, her books include ReNew Your Life: Improved Digestion and Detoxification, and Gut Solutions: Natural Solutions to Your Digestive Problems.

I remember as a kid my mother screaming at me to drink my milk. Honestly, I wasn’t much of a milk drinker when I was younger. Oh, I could go for a glass if I had a graham cracker or some Oreo cookies, but to just gulp down a glass of milk wasn’t something I was too anxious to do. Of course, that was until my mother sat me down and told me what would happen if I didn’t drink my milk. It had something to do with a little thing called vitamin D. In this article, I’m going to reveal just a few of the many benefits of vitamin D and why you really should drink your milk everyday.

So, just what is vitamin D good for and why all the fuss? Well, inside our bodies are these things called bones. Did you know that we are born with more than 300 bones in our bodies but as we grow, many of them fuse together. So we end up with about 206 bones altogether. Well, it just so happens that all of these bones depend on vitamin D for absorbing calcium, especially during our formative years, for growth. If we don’t get enough vitamin D, we don’t absorb enough calcium and ultimately, our bones don’t grow and, as a result, we don’t grow. Right there alone is all the reason in the world to get as much vitamin D in your diet as possible, especially when you’re young. But the benefits don’t stop there.

Studies have revealed that vitamin D helps ward off a number of other problems in later life, such as arthritis, which is a disease of the joints, and osteoporosis, which is the decrease in bone mass and bone density. This ultimately is the reason why we end up all hunched over as we get older. Getting enough vitamin D in our diet helps keep us upright long into our golden years.

Now, the good news is, vitamin D is one of the few things that is naturally produced by the body. However, in order for this to happen, we need to make sure we get plenty of sunlight. If we happen to be confined to the home, this becomes a problem. So, we have to get our vitamin D from other sources.

Fortunately, we can get out vitamin D from other sources besides milk. Vitamin D can also be found in many kinds of fish as well as well as cod liver oil. Cod fish in particular is a very good source of vitamin D.

Believe it or not, you can actually get too much vitamin D. If you spend a lot of time out in the sun, you can get too much vitamin D, which can be toxic, so you have to be careful.

There are many benefits of vitamin D. So the next time your mother tells you to drink your milk, do what she says.

You’ll thank her when you’re old and walking straight and tall.

To YOUR Health,

For natural treatments to a number of ailments, visit our website at http://www.natures-healing-remedies.com/ where you can get a free report on how the drug companies are killing us as well as get a 52 week series on a different ailment and treatment each week.