728x90
my iParenting
From Our Sponsors
e-newsletters
Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters

new terms of use
new privacy policy
award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Home › Articles › Nutrition and Your Health › Your Daily Dose of Vitamins

Your Daily Dose of Vitamins

5 Ways to Increase Vitamin Intake

By Donna Smith

Pages:  1  2  3  4  5  6  

Daily stress wears us down not only mentally, but physically. When stress levels are high, so should your fruit and vegetable intake. "Stress increases the rate of repair and rebuilding at the cellular level," Montag says. "In order to keep up with this increased repair schedule the body requires more raw materials. Vitamins, minerals, proteins, essential fats are these raw materials. So the more stress you are under, the higher quality and greater density of raw materials your body requires to stay healthy. Just like when you are driving at 70 mph you use more fuel than when you are puttering along at 25 mph. So stress increases your need for excellent nutrition and additional supplements and in turn can help you to better handle stress."

In fact, Montag points out that your nutritional status can really affect any mood disorder such as depression or anxiety. "The key to avoiding these is maintaining level blood sugar throughout the day, to feed the brain in a steady flow of good nutrients," she says. "Fats – healthy fats such as raw nuts and seeds and flax and olive oil – are especially crucial for brain function. Farm-raised eggs are a particularly healthy brain food."

Diseases and illnesses also take their toll our vitamin balance. "All disease, which results in a compromised immune function, can deplete the body of vitamins and other nutrients," Pirello says. Treatments and medications can also compromise the body's nutrient balance.

Montag says to think of your body as a mathematical equation – the amount you put out, in terms of lifestyle stress and environmental stress, has to be balanced by the nutritional density you put in. And that starts with good food – and some supplements.

Five a Day

Bridget Swinney, a registered dietitian and author of Eating Expectantly (Meadowbrook, 2001) and Healthy Food for Healthy Kids (Meadowbrook, 1999), says eating "five a day" of fruits and vegetables is one of the most important things to do when making a move toward a healthier lifestyle.

"This one dietary change can boost intake of vitamin C, fiber, carotenoids and other phytochemicals that are important for prevention of heart disease and cancer," Swinney says.

Swinney agrees with Montag and Pirello that darker and brighter fruits and vegetables are best, and says to forego iceberg lettuce for romaine or leaf lettuce, or even a spring mix that contains a variety of healthy greens. "It always better to eat your fruits rather than drink them; eating a whole orange is much more filling that drinking an 8-ounce glass of orange juice," she says. "And it also has fewer calories. However, a great way to have your veggies on the go is to grab a can of V-8 or tomato juice."


Pages:  1  2  3  4  5  6  


Want to see more?