Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Autumn Vitamins for Strong Immunity

As I said in the last post , we have to take care of our vitaminization now for being strong all the autumn and winter.

Choosing a vitamin complex

In Autumn, first of all are needed vitamins which enhance our immunity. This is all well-known vitamin C (ascorbic acid), as well as vitamins A (retinol), E (tocopherol) and B6 (pyridoxine). They increase the body's resistance to viral and bacterial infections, and help cope with colds and flu. Immunity and micro elements can be strengthen with: zinc, selenium, copper. These vitamins and trace elements are needed to all: from babies to the elderly.

Pharmacies offer a wide range of effective vitamin complexes. They typically need to be taken only once a day. For pregnant women there are special vitamin complexes, but anyway before taking them consult your doctor. Vitamins for children usually have bright attractive package, and the drops (or pastilles) can have a funny shape. Most of the complexes are extracts of natural or infusions of immune-simulators: Echinacea, ginseng, eleuterokokka. Such complexes can be recommended to the elder persons.

Autumn Vegetables: enhancing immunity

Autumn vegetables are generous to us with the needed immunity enhancing vitamins. Vitamin C can be found in fresh cabbage, sweet peppers (it is ranked first with the content of vitamin C in vegetables). Vitamin C is destroyed with long-term exposure to high temperatures and in contact with metal (aluminum pots). To get the daily rate of vitamin C, one fresh sweet pepper or 200 grams of fresh cabbage salad is sufficient. Perhaps you can even cook a fresh cabbage juice: it will not only alleviate the vitamins' needs, but also help with the first signs of cold and inflamed throat.

For vitamin A supplies are needed carrots. 1 glass of carrot juice a day has a general strengthening, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer effects, refreshing the skin color. It is valuable not only the carrots' roots, but its leafy tops too. Take the green leaves from 3-4 carrots, scald them with boiling water, then mill with onions through the mincing machine. This vitamin mix is a great spice for rice, spaghetti, meat dishes.

Vitamin E is the most powerful natural antioxidant. Unlike vitamin A, vitamin E poorly can be accumulated in the body, so it is difficult to"stock" it for later. It is important ensuring to receive vitamin E in the body continuously. Vitamin E is found in abundance in vegetable oils (sunflower, flax, cornmeal, olive, almond). Apart from the use of vegetable oils for cooking, it is necessary to use one table-spoon of fresh oil a day.

Vitamin B6 is a real immunity vitamin, it is found in many vegetables: potatoes, carrots, cabbage, beans, beans, peas. From vegetable juices can be prepared exotic vitamin compositions. For example, take 2 carrots, 1 beet, a few leafs of cabbage and prepare a vegetable juice. To give it a different taste, you can also add half of lemon juice or orange juice.

Beside improving immunity, you should consider what vitamins will be practically impossible to find in the winter. It is the vitamin D, which is synthesized in the body only by the action of sunlight. While vitamin D is necessary, above all, to prevent rickets in children, in adults it prevents the loss of calcium, supports the strength of bone. Lack of vitamin D can affect the general feeling: there irritability, anxiety, depression.

Fortunately, vitamin D successfully accumulates in the body. When there is a possibility, you should take sun baths for 15-20 minutes a day. Recommendation is particularly relevant to children (up to 10-12 years) and women after 35-40 years.


Sunday, September 9, 2007

Autumn Vitaminization

As the cool weather is approaching , doctors recommend a course with vitamins. What vitamins to choose? Are the plants good sources of vitamins? To successful Autumn vitaminization, we should know what vitamins we need and how better take them.

Myths about Autumn vitamins

There are several myths that prevent the fall vitaminization to be done fully and intelligently.

Myth 1. Why take vitamins in Autumn? We have had enough vegetables and fruit during the summer.

The body requirements of vitamins in vary from season to season. In autumn and winter we need more vitamins for the support of the immune system. In addition, the season of fresh fruits and vegetables ends. Fortunately, some vitamins are accumulated in the body, so doctors recommend to undergo intensive course of vitamins twice a year: in the spring and in the fall. Fall vitaminization allows stocking vitamins, and serves to prevent the common cold, autumn and winter depression.

Myth 2. Vitaminization is required only for children, the elderly or ill people.

Even the young, full of power women may have a serious lack of vitamins. In fact, taking oral contraceptives greatly reduces the absorption of vitamins. That is why doctors identify women as having the risk of avitaminosis and strongly recommend autumn course of vitamin therapy. Increased demand for vitamins also have people who are in stress situations, athletes, smokers, as well as those who frequently consume alcohol.

Myth 3. Vegetable sources are incomplete, insufficient to intensive vitaminization. You should use pharmacies complexes.
Using fresh vegetables and fruits to vitaminizate has its advantages. First, you get vitamins in their natural form, together with the necessary materials for their digestion. Secondly, vitamins in foods are completely and gradually absorbed, as the food digests. Unlike vegetable sources, many pills literally are "shooting" with vitamins, their concentration is so high, that only a part of them are digested. Thirdly, plant food activates intestinal functionality, which in itself is important for the health.

Myth 4.The pharmacy vitamins are synthetic vitamins. Taking vitamin complexes brings harm.

The "pharmacies" and "vegetable" vitamin molecules are absolutely identical. Therefore, in the absence of plant sources of vitamin their fellow pharmacists are the right alternative (i.e, late autumn and winter, when fresh vegetables and fruits are not available).

In the next post I will bring some tips on how to choose a vitamin complex, what are the autumn vegetables for enhancing the immunity.