I love good food. Food excites me. I try and eat healthy
most of the time but I don’t prevent myself from enjoying treats, in small
amounts. My daily diet usually involves a good bowl of wheat cereal in the morning,
a protein shake mid-morning, meat and salad/vegetables for lunch and dinner. And maybe a little dessert with coffee. We
don’t only get our energy from carbohydrates and protein, but we get vitamins
and minerals from what we eat. Having a healthy diet with fruits, vegetables,
whole grains, nuts, healthy oils, and protein helps our bodies work at its
best. But, even if I never put any cookies and chocolate in my body ever again,
and that won’t ever happen, I will still not be getting all the vitamins and
minerals that my body needs simply because my diet will have to be so varied
and so consistent.
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Your diet should include a range of fruit and vegetables.
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To make sure I get my daily dose of goodness, I take vitamin
supplements every day. Besides a multivitamin, I take magnesium, zinc, omega-3,
calcium, CoQ10 and vitamin D. A lack of vitamins can make you feel lethargic
and prevent your immune system from working optimally, so you’ll be getting
sick more often. I hate to feel slow, and sluggish and I don’t like getting
sick. Personally, I can feel the difference when I take my vitamins regularly,
especially the vitamin D. But, you need to be careful as it is possible to ‘overdose’
on vitamins, that’s why you’ll see such things as ‘daily recommended dose’ and ‘daily
value’ on product labels. So, I start with a good multivitamin and work from
there.
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| Do a little research before buying vitamins. You need good quality ones. |
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Family Vitamin Station
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I take a multivitamin specifically designed for diabetics. Of course, a normal multivitamin would work just fine, and I usually check the
prices and labels to see if it is worth the extra cost for the ‘specialist’
kind. It’s really important to take the proper dosage, in other words, if the
bottle says ‘three tablets’ then you should take three, otherwise you'll need to recalculate
the actual amount of nutrients you’re taking based on the label on the back. Once you got a multivitamin, you can now figure out the supplements you need to add.
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Special Diabetic Support
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Now, let’s talk Vitamin D. For those of you who don’t
already know, I live in a desert so vitamin D should be no problem, seeing that you can get your daily dose by spending 15 minutes in the sun every
day. But vitamin D deficiency is actually quite common and I had the worse case
the very first year I was here. Believe me, it was the worst. Vitamin D helps
with calcium absorption so one tell-tale sign of deficiency is achy bones,
especially back pain. Between my doctor and I we’ve figured out the symptoms
and take preventative measures. Usually you should aim for 600IU a day but if
you’re already deficient you’ll need more. A lot of times you’ll get 600IU
included in a calcium supplement but when I need a little extra help I use
10,000 IU, five times a week for about a month. Most scientist agree that 1,000 - 4,000 IU is recommended for daily use. Remember to talk to your doctor
about how much vitamin D you need to take. He can also prescribe vitamin D shots, which are unpleasant but does the job. You can't really get much vitamin D from food, so a supplement is almost always needed. You can find food fortified with vitamin D in the supermarket, like cereals, and milk and Al Ain Water has Vitamin D water available as well.
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| 15 minutes a day in the sun |
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10,000 IU might be too much for daily use, but you can use 1,000 - 4,000 IU safely.
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I also take extra magnesium, because my multivitamin only has
100mg and females need about 310mg (400mg for men). I use a powdered form
from Biolectra which comes in 200mg and 300mg sachets. Magnesium helps to keep
up your energy levels and keeps your heart and blood vessels healthy. It is also
needed for good bones and don’t forget the added benefit of keeping you
regular. You get magnesium from food such as almonds, black beans and peanut
butter. Also spinach is a good source of magnesium.
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| Almonds are a great source of magnesium. 1 ounce gives you 80mg. |
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| Peanut butter is a healthy and delicious treat. |
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| Suitable for ladies and kids. |
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For the men in our lives.
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Now, let’s have a heart-to-heart talk about omegas. Omega 3
supplements are really good for anyone who has heart problems and should
discuss with their doctor about the benefits. But healthy people can also benefit
from this heart healthy supplement. There really is no recommended daily dose,
as it varies according to body weight and health conditions, but for a healthy
person the average seem to range from 250 – 500 mg, and for those with heart
disease even as high as 1000 mg. Omega 3 is also used to help reduce the symptoms
of depression and anxiety, that’s why my little guy uses it as part of his ADHD
treatment. Omega 3 is considered to be a ‘good fat’ and you can get it from
food like salmon and seeds.
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| 150 g salmon contains 3.2 grams of omega 3 |
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Omega 3 with EPA and DHA
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CoEnzyme Q10 or CoQ10 is another supplement that has been
used because of its antioxidant benefits. It has been prescribed for a range of medical issues from heart problems, blood pressure, migraine prevention to cancer. There’s
no recommended daily dose but doses can range from 50mg upwards. Again consult
your doctor of the options available. CoQ10 is found in organ meats, beef, spinach and broccoli.
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| Vegetables should not be frozen or canned as it looses it nutrients. |
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| Spinach has the highest levels on CoQ10 for a vegetable, and should be enjoyed raw, unprocessed and fresh. |
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Antioxidant
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Then there is Zinc, which I believe is something we all need
to take. It is possible to have to much zinc and it can be dangerous so consult
your doctor and get a blood test to measure your zinc levels. If not, take the lowest level you can. Zinc is
a mineral and gets prescribed to boost your immune system, for asthma and diabetics
and the list goes on. The uses of zinc are amazing. I take a 30mg dose plus 10mg
already in my multivitamin, which makes it 40mg altogether. Doses vary
according to purpose and you should discuss with your doctor the benefit of
including zinc in your daily regime. Zinc is found in red meat and chicken but can also be found in beans and nuts.
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Raw cashew nuts have about 6mg zinc per serving.
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30 mg Zinc
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Needless to say, I’m not a doctor, but with a little research
and a close relationship with my doctor, I’ve managed to find supplements that
will definitely help my overall health. At least, I would recommend a
multivitamin and omega 3. Another definite for us ladies, is calcium for good strong bones. It’s all about
giving it everything and more isn’t it, to be able to live a long and strong
life.
💖Always
Leazille
Once again, thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts with
you today.
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