Weight Loss, Vitamins And Minerals And Proper Diet To Maintain Good Health

Like water, carbohydrates, protein, and fats, and the enzymes required to digest them, vitamins and minerals are essential to life. They are therefore considered nutrients, and are often referred to as micronutrients simply because they are needed in relatively small amounts compared with the four basic nutrients.

Because vitamins and minerals are so necessary for health, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has long formulated recommended consumption levels for key nutrients called Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs). But as we will see in VITAMINS in this section, these allowances do not account for the amount needed to maintain maximum health but are more suited to addressing borderline health, allowing only the amount needed to prevent deficiency diseases. Therefore, the average adult who is not suffering from any specific disorder should obtain more than the RDAs of vitamins and minerals from food sources and/or from supplements. The table on the following page which includes not just vitamin and mineral supplements, but other supplements as well should be used as a guideline. Although the amounts listed are safe (they will not cause toxicity), they should be varied according to a person's size and body weight. People who are active and exercise; those who are under great stress, on restricted diets, or mentally or physically ill; women who take oral contraceptives; those on medication; those who are recovering from surgery; and smokers and those who consume alcoholic beverages all may need larger than normal amounts of certain nutrients.

In addition to a proper diet, exercise and a positive attitude are two important elements that are needed to prevent sickness and disease. If your lifestyle includes each of these, you will feel good and have more energy something we all deserve. Nature has the answers we need to maintain our health, but you need to know what nutrients you are taking to make sure all the pieces of the puzzle fit together.

Nutrients and Dosages for Maintaining Good Health

The nutrients listed in the table below are recommended for good health. Daily dosages are suggested; however, before using any supplements, you should consult with your health care provider. The dosages given here are for adults and children weighing 100 pounds and over. Appropriate dosages for children vary according to age and weight. A child weighing between 70 and 100 pounds should be given three quarters the adult dose; a child weighing less than 70 pounds (and over the age of six years) should be given one half the adult dose. A child under the age of six years should be given nutritional formulas designed specifically for young children. Follow the dosage directions on the product label.

Use only quality natural (not synthetic) supplements from a reputable source. Lower priced supplements can mean lower quality, with higher levels of fillers and other undesirable ingredients. Give your body the best it deserves it. If you cannot locate one or more of the supplements recommended in this book, you can call or write to one of the sources listed in the Appendix.

For your reference, both milligrams (mg) and micrograms (meg) refer to specific weights. An international unit (IU), by contrast, is the amount of a vitamin, mineral, or other substance agreed upon by the International Conference for Unification of Formulae to elicit a certain biological activity. Thus, an international unit of one vitamin will be of a different weight than an international unit of a different vitamin. It is a useful gauge for how much of a particular vitamin or mineral you are taking, but in terms of weight is meaningful only for that particular substance and no oilier.

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