Iron
Iron is one of the components of hemoglobin, the substance in red blood cells that helps blood carry oxygen throughout the body. It’s also essential for the proper function of several chemical reactions in several of the body’s cells and tissues. There are times when supplementing with iron is beneficial, like during pregnancy, or when a deficiency has been identified. However, its accumulation over time may be detrimental because it generates oxidative stress, a byproduct of energy production, which contributes to chronic diseases — specifically cardiovascular disease and brain disorders like Alzheimer’s disease. Stick to food sources for your daily iron intake unless a medical condition warrants supplementing. Excessive red meat consumption can lead to a harmful excess of this nutrient.
The iron in food comes from two sources: animals and plants. Iron from animal sources is known as heme iron, and is found in some meats and fish. Iron from plants is known as nonheme iron, and is found in certain vegetables and in iron-fortified foods like breakfast cereals. Heme iron is better absorbed by the body than nonheme iron.
Food sources: Excellent plant food sources of iron are white beans, raw cacao, popcorn, spinach, fortified cereal, oatmeal, beans and lentils. It’s a good idea to combine nonheme iron foods with vitamin C to increase the absorption of iron. Heme iron is found in some meats and fish.
Vitamin K
Often referred to as “the forgotten vitamin” Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that is only recently being recognized for it’s critical role in our health. There are 3 basic forms of vitamin K: K1, K2, and K3, but there are subtypes as well. K1 is preferentially used by the liver to activate blood clotting proteins. K1 is most well known for the important role it plays in blood clotting. You’re most likely getting K1 from your leafy green vegetables, though national data suggests that only about one in four Americans meets the goal for vitamin K intake from food. This puts K2 deficiency at about the same level as vitamin D deficiency. Eat more kale, lettuce, spinach, and broccoli to boost your K1 intake.
Studies show that K2 is preferentially used by other tissues to deposit calcium in appropriate locations, such as in the bones and teeth, and prevent it from depositing in locations where it does not belong, such as the soft tissues, including the pineal gland which can be overly calcified without the addition of K2 in the diet. A calcified pineal gland can affect melatonin production as well as wake/sleep schedules of the body. Vitamin K2 is absolutely essential to building strong bones, and studies suggest it may help prevent osteoporosis. K2 (spcifically menaquinone 7 or M7, one of the subtypes of K2) may help reduce the risk of prostate cancer and heart disease as well as crucial parts of other bodily processes.
Supplementing your Vitamin K2 is highly recommended. Although K2 is still being investigated, it is thought that the average person needs 180 to 200 micrograms of K2 daily. Vitamin K2 is found in fermented veggies like sauerkraut and is most prevalent in a popular Japanese dish called Natto. Hard and soft cheese as well as raw butter from grass fed cows are also on the short list of foods high in the beneficial M-7 subtype of K2.
Precautions: “If you are pregnant or nursing, you should avoid vitamin K2 supplementation higher than the RDA (65 mcg) unless specifically recommended and monitored by your physician. If you have experienced stroke, cardiac arrest, or are prone to blood clotting, you should not take vitamin K2 without first consulting your physician,” warns Dr. Mercola.
Vitamin K3 (menadione) is a potent synthetic (man-made) form of vitamin K that is not generally used in humans, though some alternative medical practitioners claim that vitamin K3 is also an anti-cancer agent.
Food sources: Kale, lettuce, spinach, and broccoli, mustard greens, Brussels sprouts, and sauerkraut, fermented vegetables for Vitamin
Magnesium
Magnesium is critical for energy production. It contributes to the structural development of bone and is required for vital things like the synthesis of DNA. Magnesium also plays a role in the active transport of calcium and potassium ions across cell membranes, a process that is important to nerve impulse conduction, muscle contraction, and normal heart rhythm. Magnesium also helps to lower blood pressure, which is vital in the prevention of heart disease. Magnesium is an abundant mineral in the body and is naturally present in many foods. It’s also added to other food products, and available as a dietary supplement.
Zinc
Zinc is an essential mineral required by the body for keeping a healthy immune system, building proteins, triggering approximately 100 enzymes, maintaining a sense of smell, and creating DNA. It can also help the cells in your body communicate by functioning as a neurotransmitter.
A daily intake of zinc is required to maintain a steady state because the body has no specialized zinc storage system.
Food sources: Fortified breakfast cereals, chickpeas, wheat germ, cashews, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and oysters.
Recommended daily dosage: 8 mg for women -11 mg for men
Check with your doctor before adding new supplements to your diet. Remember it’s always best to get these nutrients from food whenever possible. Let food be thy medicine.
www.rishihospital.com
Iron is one of the components of hemoglobin, the substance in red blood cells that helps blood carry oxygen throughout the body. It’s also essential for the proper function of several chemical reactions in several of the body’s cells and tissues. There are times when supplementing with iron is beneficial, like during pregnancy, or when a deficiency has been identified. However, its accumulation over time may be detrimental because it generates oxidative stress, a byproduct of energy production, which contributes to chronic diseases — specifically cardiovascular disease and brain disorders like Alzheimer’s disease. Stick to food sources for your daily iron intake unless a medical condition warrants supplementing. Excessive red meat consumption can lead to a harmful excess of this nutrient.
The iron in food comes from two sources: animals and plants. Iron from animal sources is known as heme iron, and is found in some meats and fish. Iron from plants is known as nonheme iron, and is found in certain vegetables and in iron-fortified foods like breakfast cereals. Heme iron is better absorbed by the body than nonheme iron.
Food sources: Excellent plant food sources of iron are white beans, raw cacao, popcorn, spinach, fortified cereal, oatmeal, beans and lentils. It’s a good idea to combine nonheme iron foods with vitamin C to increase the absorption of iron. Heme iron is found in some meats and fish.
Vitamin K
Often referred to as “the forgotten vitamin” Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that is only recently being recognized for it’s critical role in our health. There are 3 basic forms of vitamin K: K1, K2, and K3, but there are subtypes as well. K1 is preferentially used by the liver to activate blood clotting proteins. K1 is most well known for the important role it plays in blood clotting. You’re most likely getting K1 from your leafy green vegetables, though national data suggests that only about one in four Americans meets the goal for vitamin K intake from food. This puts K2 deficiency at about the same level as vitamin D deficiency. Eat more kale, lettuce, spinach, and broccoli to boost your K1 intake.
Studies show that K2 is preferentially used by other tissues to deposit calcium in appropriate locations, such as in the bones and teeth, and prevent it from depositing in locations where it does not belong, such as the soft tissues, including the pineal gland which can be overly calcified without the addition of K2 in the diet. A calcified pineal gland can affect melatonin production as well as wake/sleep schedules of the body. Vitamin K2 is absolutely essential to building strong bones, and studies suggest it may help prevent osteoporosis. K2 (spcifically menaquinone 7 or M7, one of the subtypes of K2) may help reduce the risk of prostate cancer and heart disease as well as crucial parts of other bodily processes.
Supplementing your Vitamin K2 is highly recommended. Although K2 is still being investigated, it is thought that the average person needs 180 to 200 micrograms of K2 daily. Vitamin K2 is found in fermented veggies like sauerkraut and is most prevalent in a popular Japanese dish called Natto. Hard and soft cheese as well as raw butter from grass fed cows are also on the short list of foods high in the beneficial M-7 subtype of K2.
Precautions: “If you are pregnant or nursing, you should avoid vitamin K2 supplementation higher than the RDA (65 mcg) unless specifically recommended and monitored by your physician. If you have experienced stroke, cardiac arrest, or are prone to blood clotting, you should not take vitamin K2 without first consulting your physician,” warns Dr. Mercola.
Vitamin K3 (menadione) is a potent synthetic (man-made) form of vitamin K that is not generally used in humans, though some alternative medical practitioners claim that vitamin K3 is also an anti-cancer agent.
Food sources: Kale, lettuce, spinach, and broccoli, mustard greens, Brussels sprouts, and sauerkraut, fermented vegetables for Vitamin
Magnesium
Magnesium is critical for energy production. It contributes to the structural development of bone and is required for vital things like the synthesis of DNA. Magnesium also plays a role in the active transport of calcium and potassium ions across cell membranes, a process that is important to nerve impulse conduction, muscle contraction, and normal heart rhythm. Magnesium also helps to lower blood pressure, which is vital in the prevention of heart disease. Magnesium is an abundant mineral in the body and is naturally present in many foods. It’s also added to other food products, and available as a dietary supplement.
Zinc
Zinc is an essential mineral required by the body for keeping a healthy immune system, building proteins, triggering approximately 100 enzymes, maintaining a sense of smell, and creating DNA. It can also help the cells in your body communicate by functioning as a neurotransmitter.
A daily intake of zinc is required to maintain a steady state because the body has no specialized zinc storage system.
Food sources: Fortified breakfast cereals, chickpeas, wheat germ, cashews, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and oysters.
Recommended daily dosage: 8 mg for women -11 mg for men
Check with your doctor before adding new supplements to your diet. Remember it’s always best to get these nutrients from food whenever possible. Let food be thy medicine.
www.rishihospital.com
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