Vitamins as they relate to your health & weight loss

I always thought that I got enough vitamins from the foods that I ate, but then I began reading articles that suggested that the minimum recommendations that the government suggests, is just that, a minimum. These numbers may not actually prevent most illnesses, they are just the minimum requirement to live, but not necessarily to live at an optimum level.

That got me to thinking and I did more research. The food we produce today does not have as many vitamins and nutrients as it once had. Partly because of the processing methods used to get the food to market and partly because the animals we breed for food production are not fed food that they would normally eat in the wild. We also don't feed the soil like we should before during and after growing fruits and vegetables. Everything is done synthetically to produce higher yields, but at what cost?

You may have seen a green bean commercial recently that states that a green bean loses half of it's vitamin C in a week. That's true. That's why growing your own produce can be so much healthier than you realize because in many cases, you are harvesting and eating them within the same day or two. Shopping at the Farmer's market is generally better because the produce was just harvested and brought to market to be sold, in some cases, the very same day. If you can't get fresh, frozen is the next best thing, because the product is frozen quickly, while the produce was at it's peak of freshness. I can't imagine that a canned item has many nutrients left in it once it's been cooked at high temperatures and left on a shelf for a year or more. I suppose that is why a lot of processed foods are fortified these days with extra vitamins, because there is nothing left when they get through packaging the product.

Eating organic food is becoming more and more popular probably because they have a higher level of vitamins and minerals in them and lower levels of bad fats and cholesterol. They also contain no chemicals that can interact with our body. Did you know that many processed foods can actually cause your body to produce an excess amount of estrogen? No wonder our hormones are out of whack.

Organic foods are more expensive because a little more work needs to go into growing it and producing it and the yields can be smaller than traditional grown foods. The soil needs to be fed with compost and manure, the natural way to feed the soil. Cover crops need to be planted and fields rotated to help replenish the soil. Animals are allowed to feed naturally in fields which produces smaller yields of meat and eggs, but the meat and eggs are healthier for you because traditional feeds cause the animals to produce more bad fats than naturally fed animals. Just think about it. If all you ate was junk food all day, you'd start developing large amounts of fat in your body. Synthetic fertilizers to the soil and feed products to animals is like junk food to us.

Now I'm like you, I just can't afford to buy everything organic right now, but I've chosen to make small changes now that do make a difference in the long run. Even before I started taking a daily multi-vitamin, I felt so much better when I was actually eating nutrient rich foods. For starters, I grow what I can myself. This saves a lot of money during the growing season.

When I can't grow my own, I buy from the Farmer's market. Some is organic and some is not. There are many farms that are at my Farmer's market that grow organically but are not officially certified, so their product is a little less expensive than a certified organic farm. If you can only afford to buy a few organic products, start with root crops like potatoes and carrots that come in direct contact with the soil. Buy what's in season for the best prices and buy frozen when it's not in season as the price is usually better than buying fresh out of season. Avoid buying canned goods unless it's for an emergency. When money is really tight, anything that has a peel or a rind that I don't eat, I don't worry about buying it organically. I always wash anything before eating it or slicing into it. A 50/50 solution of white distilled vinegar and water works best. Works great to disinfect the counters also...LOL.

Once you've gotten a good selection of fresh fruits and veggies I move on to the meat department. To be honest, I haven't bought a whole lot of organic meats yet, because it's just too expensive. I watch for mark-downs at my supermarket and buy at those times. Our market has special vacuum sealed bags that allows the meat to stay fresher longer, so I have to really look hard for those mark-downs. If you can only afford one or two items, go for the organic beef and wild caught fish as they are lower in fat than regular beef and fish. I also splurge on organic eggs, as they too are lower in bad fats, but higher in the good fats our bodies need. Another approach would be if you eat a lot of one thing, buy organic in that item, since you will be consuming that the most. I love to eat yogurt everyday, so I buy organic yogurt that doesn't contain any artificial sweeteners since I consume so much of it. All organic products seem to have a higher concentration of naturally ocurring vitamins and minerals so you can't lose with organic products.

When it comes to side dishes, we don't buy anything that is boxed anymore. I thought I'd miss it, but in reality I don't. The exception would be pasta, and I try to buy organic pastas and pastas that are not made from flour to get a variety in our diet. I don't buy convenience foods like macaroni and cheese. I just buy the pasta itself and I cook the side dish from scratch otherwise. Many meals we don't even have a traditional rice or pasta side dish. Many times we have a white potato or a sweet potato and a heaping pile of veggies like broccoli (which is a super food of nutrients). I bet we have broccoli 4-5 times a week now. Other days we have couscous, quinoa, barley, or wild rice for a side dish. They all taste wonderful with the additional of a flavored broth, garlic and herbs. A little fresh grated cheese on top and you are in business.

In addition to eating good quality foods that contain high levels of vitamins and minerals, we should all be taking a good quality multi-vitamin to help supplement our efforts. Since vitamins are not regulated by the FDA, it's hard to know if the vitamin you are using is of good quality and readily absorbed into the body. I use a vitamin that is made from whole fruits and vegetables. I buy mine online, but you can find many good quality products in the organic section of your grocery store. If you'd like to take a look at the one I use, it can be found here. (I get no money or free products for mentioning their product in my blog). Food based vitamins are usually gentler on your stomach, but you should know that it's easier to absorb them when taken with food and a large glass of water.

Over the next few weeks, I will be talking about many vitamins and how they may affect our health and weight loss efforts. This post was meant to be an introduction to vitamins and their importance to our health and weight loss, when in reality it looks like a promotion for organic foods....LOL. I didn't intend for that to happen, but they are the best ways to get good quality vitamins and minerals in our diet.