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Your Daily Dose of Vitamins
5 Ways to Increase Vitamin Intake
By Donna Smith
When selecting food for your pantry, Montag says to look for items with whole grain as the first ingredient on the label, though she would encourage people to stay away from anything dehydrated in a box. "Choose the whole foods version instead, such as real potatoes, cheese and milk vs. scalloped potatoes in a box," she says.
Pirello says to read labels carefully and exercise caution. "If the ingredient panel on a product you are considering reads like War and Peace, you might want to reconsider," she says. "The less ingredients in a food, the better. Make sure you are not being duped with marketing into thinking that you are getting something you aren't."
Some foods and conditions can actually rob your body of vitamins you've fought so hard to get. "Simple and refined sugars, chemicals, additives and preservatives will deplete the body of vitamins and minerals," Pirello says.
According to Montag, white flour, white sugar and alcohol all affect the body the same as stress does. "They produce cortisol, the stress hormone, which in turn stimulates insulin secretion and causes fat deposition, especially around the abdomen," she sas. Pirello points out that if our bodies are properly nourished, we can handle stress and depression with "more grace and clarity."