Tag Archives: good nutrition

Folic Acid Health Benefits for Pregnant Women

Posted on June 13, 2018 by jdecuypere jdecuypere

Folic Acid Health Benefits for Pregnant WomenFolic Acid, a vitamin B variant, can be extremely beneficial for women, especially those who are pregnant or are planning to conceive. This water-soluble form of vitamin B9 could safeguard the fetus from being born with grave disorders like ‘spina bifida’ or anencephaly. If young and pregnant women took this vitamin on a daily basis, nearly 70% of birth defects associated with the spine and brain would never have happened.

This vitamin B type naturally occurs in legumes, nuts, and specific vegetables. However, most of those who are on their way of becoming pregnant or already are do not consume sufficient amounts of these food items routinely. Hence, their bodies do not get the daily required dosage of Folic acid.

The best option of supplying the daily quota to the body is by taking pills and supplements.

Folic Acid: What is it?

Folate and Folic Acid are water-soluble vitamin B9 variants. They can be found in the common dietary items we tend to consume from day to day like grains, beef liver, beef kidney, eggs, meats, dairy products, seafood, nuts, fruits, green vegetables, leafy vegetables and so on. Vitamins, fortified grain products and breakfast cereals include folic acid in artificial form. Our bodies absorb and ingest the synthetic type more effectively than the natural variant.

Benefits of Folic Acid

Though researchers are still in the dark as to why and how Folic acid contributes towards averting birth defects, there is enough circumstantial evidence to prove the above assertion. As a matter of fact, the vitamin can check the incidence of such defects in the early stages of pregnancy, much before they realize that they’re carrying. These defects are usually related to the unborn baby’s vertebral column and brain and are classified as ‘Neural Tube Defects’. Encephalophele, spina bifida and anencephaly are the most common NTDs.

Folate also plays a key role in preventing the baby from other health defects at the time of birth like autism, cleft palate, cleft lip, and cerebral aneurism. A study conducted recently by University of California, Davis led to the finding that pregnant women who regularly took natural foods containing folic acid were less vulnerable to give birth to babies diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). These women were also at lesser risk of delivering babies with NTDs, their exposure to home pesticides or insecticides (a high risk factor for autism) notwithstanding.

Furthermore, folic acid is also required for the healthy development of the fetus and placenta. This nutrient also helps in the embryo’s cell division and DNA production and its deficiency could hinder the process of development. According to Diane Ashton, MD and deputy medical director for the ‘March of Dimes’, 50% of pregnancies in the US are spontaneous.

Hence, it becomes all the more essential for women in the child bearing age category to take supplements of this vitamin daily to keep themselves (and presumably their unborn babies) out of harm’s way.

How much Folic Acid to take every day?

As per Institute of Medicine’s, CDC’s, the March of Dimes’ recommendations, that pregnant women should take 600 micrograms of the nutrient from a multivitamin or prenatal vitamin or consume one bowl of enriched breakfast cereal containing 400mcg. These institutions also suggested that women in general should take nothing less than 400mcg of the synthetic Folate every day.

Side effects of Folic acid

There are some downsides of consuming the vitamin B9 variant on a routine basis. The Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health published a report mentioning that women taking folic acid in supplement form were at high risk of succumbing to breast cancer. Many researches and studies have pinpointed a link between supplements of Folate and ectopic pregnancy, leukemia, heart problems, and asthma.

Pregnant women should decrease their consumption of the nutrient following the first trimester. From the 2nd trimester till delivery, women can source the vitamin from food items.

To know more about Folic acid and its health benefits, log in at www.decuyperechiropractorclearwater.com or dial 727-449-80-80.

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The Best Breakfast Foods

Posted on January 9, 2018 by jdecuypere jdecuypere

The Best Foods to Eat for BreakfastWe are what we eat. This famous proverb is especially relevant for breakfast, which sets our food rhythm for the whole day. Therefore, it is very important that it is not only tasty and satisfying, but also useful and balanced. It is not difficult to prepare a healthy breakfast, and it will not take so long as it may seem at first glance. The main thing is to know the basic rules of a healthy breakfast.

According to doctors, breakfast should be no later than 10 am, while you should use half the daily calorie rate. It is believed that the eaten for breakfast is completely burned during the day, which means that it is not postponed by the body for future use. Adhering to the rules of a healthy breakfast, you will always be in great shape and a wonderful mood, and stomach diseases will never bother you.

Many complain that in the morning they can not force themselves to eat, limited only to a cup of strong coffee. Say, the body has not yet woken up and rape it with food there is no need. This is a misconception. Firstly, the absence of hunger in the morning often indicates that in the evening you had a dense supper, or even snacked something for a dream to come. Naturally, in the morning the organism still digests your evening diet and does not want to add work to itself. Secondly, if you do not feel hungry, this does not mean that your body does not need useful substances, proteins and carbohydrates, in order to have the necessary energy reserve for the whole day. This means that a healthy breakfast should not be rich in fats, but with proteins and carbohydrates, and carbohydrates should be “slow”.

Based on all the above, you can derive the basic rules of a healthy breakfast.
Your breakfast menu should include cereals, fruits and dairy products. The latter is a valuable source of useful minerals and animal proteins, so necessary for the body. Fruits will supply the body with vitamins, and cereals will replenish the energy reserves.
Useful are only those dairy products that have not been defeated. They should have a low fat content, not a complete absence of fat. Otherwise, the food will be extremely poorly absorbed by the body.

You do not need to eat too much. The excessively hearty breakfast can do almost more harm than its complete absence. By lunchtime you will want to eat even more, and then there will be no more rules for healthy eating. This is because the excess amount of carbohydrates that have got into the body, causes the release of insulin into the blood. He, in turn, eats sugar, transforming it into fat. As a result, the body begins to need even more carbohydrates, and we want to eat even more.

Food and healthy breakfast

The most suitable products for breakfast are bread from wholemeal flour, buckwheat, oatmeal, dry breakfast without sugar. True, this does not mean that you should give up a beloved and traditional buttered sandwich. It’s just not as useful as we would like. Much better properties in this regard have eggs, cottage cheese, cheese, sour-milk products. You can include in your morning ration a small piece of boiled meat or ham, but avoid eating sandwiches with smoked sausages there will not be much benefit from this. All this goes well with different porridges, and you do not need to think that such a breakfast will be superfluous. Instead of the usual cup of coffee, drink freshly squeezed fruit or vegetable juice or brew tea, in which you can add a small amount of honey.
One of the best products is muesli. If you take raw muesli, refill them with milk and add pieces of fruit, then you will get the most that neither is a healthy breakfast!

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Can Fruits And Vegetables Fight ALS?

Posted on November 22, 2016 by jdecuypere jdecuypere

Can Fruits And Vegetables Fight ALS?According to a new study from Columbia University, the scientists there state that their data suggests that fruits and vegetables can lessen the severity of ALS.

Basically, it’s all about good nutrition. Staying away from dairy and deli or processed meats. These products have been nailed as problem foods for decades now and in this case, the data proves it out. Along with other nutritional advice spouted by just about every fitness and bodybuilding professional as well as the world’s top nutritionists, it’s all about eating smart. Eating what humans are supposed to eat, not cramming ourselves with foods that lack nutritional value and are so overly processed with salt, sugar, and chemicals, that they become more problematic than providing sustenance.

It’s a given, the body is a miraculous healing machine, however, for the body to repair itself and prevent damage from stress, diseases, insects, etc, it needs the vitamins and minerals in the right combinations and portions to provide the body’s regenerative systems to operate at peak proficiency. Without such nutrients, the body ends up getting damaged and falling backward, the processed foods doing more damage than good.
That’s why the researchers of this study in the JAMA Neurology, states that ALS patients should be eating high fiber grains, poultry, fish that are high in antioxidants and carotene. Any nutritionist worth their beet juice will tell you the same thing, but our lifestyles have to change if we’re going to battle devastating illnesses like ALS.

It’s not that difficult to change one’s lifestyle. There’s no time like the present to get on a healthy route by eating smart. Organic products may seem more expensive but their benefits are worth it. There are tons of websites by organic experts showing products available as well as how to grow your own products. You have to be careful with fish, though. Often, fish imported aren’t what they’re labeled. It’s a practice the government is cracking down on , but since it makes so much money fooling the public it’s an uphill battle. Instead, look for local fisherman if you have them around. If not, try a nearby community that packs and ships fish after they’ve caught them. They usually arrive the next day but this way you’ll be assured what you’re buying is what you want.

Lifestyle changes also include carrying a bag of nuts, grains, dried fruits and other natural snacks with you so that you don’t get tempted by that sale at the local donut shop or that new scrumptious cake that the kids are all clamoring about.

This study is a validation to those who’ve been professing the benefits of nutrition for decades. Perhaps ALS patients will take note and get on the bandwagon.

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