Thursday, May 7, 2009

B3 is next

The third vitamin of the B's is B3 or Niacin. Niacin is used therapeutically to treat diabetes, mental problems, high cholesterol, digestive problems, headaches, skin ailments and fatigue. I got tired just typing all of that information. I guess I need some niacin!

It also is essential for the release of energy from food. There seems to be a pattern with these B's and their releasing of energy. I would say make sure and get your B's in daily as B3 is again water soluble. Niacin is a white powder and is more resistant to destruction in the body than other B complex vitamins. The body is also able to convert the amino acid tryptophan into niacin. Cool! It also plays a role in keeping our skin, blood cells and digestive systems healthy as well as our brain and nervous system. It assists in hormone production and the repair of genetic material. Again this B vitamin helps with normal growth and development of our bodies. This niacin is good stuff man!

Niacin can be found in food sources such as tuna, salmon, Special K cereal, lamb liver (liver again), peanuts, pork sausage, corn and spaghetti.

The recommended daily allowances for Niacin are around 14 to 16 mg. And guess what? You can find Niacin in Advocare's Coreplex. I would say that Coreplex is some good stuff too man!

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Tuesday, May 5, 2009

What in the Sam Hill is Riboflavin?

In honor of my friend Runner Susan and her new favorite word "Sam Hill" we will learn about Riboflavin today. Riboflavin or Vitamin B2 was the second B vitamin to be discovered. It is water soluble as well and when the excess is excreted from your body your tinkle will be really yellow! For some reason that sentence just makes me laugh. It must be all of this collecting I have been doing for the "Science Project".


Stay with me here...Riboflavin is part of 2 coenzymes called flavin adenine dinucleotide or FAD and flavin mononucleotide or FMN. These are essential for tissue respiration and to generate energy from carbohydrates, amino acids and fats. Again we need this to keep our systems running. It is also important for reproduction, growth, repair and development of our body tissues. These tissues include our skin, hair, nails, connective tissue and immune systems.


Riboflavin has also been used to effectively treat migraine headaches. A 1998 study done in Belgium on 55 people showed that 59% of those given the Riboflavin instead of the placebo reported less headache pain. Interesting!


Riboflavin can be found in organ meats such as liver, kidney and heart. That just seems wrong peeps! It can also be found in almonds, spinach, pink salmon, boiled eggs, oats and soy milk. The best source for a girl like me is milk chocolate. Now that beats kidney and heart anyday!


The recommended dietary intakes is around 1.2 mg. Again you may find this in Advocare's Coreplex and Advocare's Spark.


Now go and eat that milk chocolate and be glad you did it!


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Monday, May 4, 2009

B comes after A

The next vitamin on the list is Vitamin B. I have learned there are many B vitamins. Vitamin B is a complex of 8 water soluble vitamins. Water soluble vitamins must be replaced daily as any extra is excreted in your urine. Here we go potty talking again! Anyway, we will start with B1 otherwise known as Thiamine.

Thiamine and the other B vitamins are necessary to help metabolize carbohydrates, fats and protein so that the body may grow. They maintain the health of our hair, skin, nerves, blood cells, immune system, hormone-producing glands and our digestive system.


Thiamine is found in oatmeal, whole grains, pork, fish, poultry, nuts, dried peas and beans and avocado. Also in veggies such as spinach and cauliflower. Magnesium is necessary to convert Thiamine to its active form. A shot of Vitamin C helps improve its absorption as well.


Coreplex from Advocare provides 4.5 mg in caplet form if you are looking for a supplement. The recommended daily allowance of Thiamine is around 1.1 to 1.2 mg a day.


See this whole time you thought bees just made honey! Duh!

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Tami's Special Request

I have received my first special request from my dear friend Tami. She would like to know more about Fenugreek and Thistle and/or Milk Thistle.

I will start with Fenugreek. It is a culinary herb which has been used as a medicine. It has been known to lower blood pressure and act as a anti-inflammatory and an anti-spasmodic. Since Tami is a new mother it might come in handy to her since it is known to increase the flow of mother's milk.

It is used to treat sore throats, bronchitis and to improve digestion. For all you hormonal women out there it is also recommended for menopausal women. It is NOT recommended for use by pregnant women.

Tami's next request was Thistle and/or Milk Thistle. It is native to Europe and some parts of the USA and has liver-protecting properties. It is also called its botanical name Silybum marianum. It is used to treat liver disease caused from both cirrhosis and hepatitis. It is used to treat gallstones and psoriasis as well.


There you go Tami...you learn something new everyday! Thanks for the request!

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Vitamin A is A OK

Here we go on our journey starting from the top with Vitamin A. It was first identified in 1913 by two American scientists and they called this substance "fat soluble A." So we now know that Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin. This means that fat from our food is necessary for this vitamin to be absorbed in the body.

So just what have you done for me lately Mr. Vitamin A? We need Vitamin A for many reasons. It is essential for healthy eyes and vision, the growth and repair of our cells and protection against infection. These are just a few of things it will do.

What types of Vitamin A are there? There are two types of Vitamin A. The first being Pre-formed Vitamin A which is often in the form of retinol or retinal. The second form of Vitamin A is Provitamin A which is the name given to some 50 compounds in a group of plant pigments known as carotenes or carotenoids. You might have heard of beta carotene most often.

What types of food have this Vitamin A in them? Well now we are getting to the good stuff! Food! Preformed Vitamin A is found in foods of animal origin such as liver (yum!), eggs and butter. Provitamin A is found in yellow, orange and dark green fruits and veggies such as sweet tators, carrots and broccoli.

Just how much Vitamin A do I need to be super turbo healthy? The recommended daily intake for Preformed Vitamin A is around 3ooo IU. Although Provitamin A doesn't have a recommended daily allowance some experts agree that 10 to 30 mg is a great start.

Where might I locate this wonderful Vitamin A in supplement form? I currently use Advocare's CorePlex caplets and it provides 5000 IU of Vitamin A as beta-carotene. You may check out CorePlex here.

Well there you go! One down and like 10 million vitamins and minerals to go. I hope you learned something.

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Friday, May 1, 2009

A to Zinc to TWU

I might have mentioned to some of you peeps that I am planning on going back to school in the fall. I have applied to TWU and I am hopeful that they will let me in just because I am old. I am hoping they will accept my application out of pure sympathy or that they just need my cold hard cash bad enough and will take me. Either way the application has been submitted and I am waiting to hear from them.

My plan is to study nutrition and become a registered dietitian. I love this stuff so I got to thinking. My brain is realllllly old and my dendrites just don't hold on to information like they used to so I need to write about what I will be learning. Something about writing makes it stick in my brain. So peeps I am going to be writing about the vitamins and minerals that our bodies need. I hope to cover them all. A little ambitious I know, but hey as I always say...set your goals lofty and you just might reach them.

I will start at the beginning with Vitamin A and move on down the line to Zinc. If you have an unusual vitamin, mineral or herb that you are interested in knowing more about just send me the name and I am on it.

I will give you the goods on why we need these things, how much of it we need, what type of foods will provide it, and what type of supplement will provide it and some ideas on Advocare products you might want to try. Check back daily as my goal is to add a new vitamin or mineral every day in May!

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The Science Project Update 1

I thought I would send an update on the science project. I did finish the collection of the urine for the magnesium challenge test. I know one thing for sure. I was ready to be done with this part because I felt like I couldn't get 2 feet from the house without having to go to the potty. Also, it is extremely difficult to pee in a cup in the middle of the night without completely waking up. I of course had to pee alot during the night during those 48 hours. Go figure!

Anyway, I submitted my specimen and Jackie, the sweetest nurse ever, gave me two big ol' injections of Magnesium. At first I felt great. Almost as great as I felt back in 1984. Remember 1984 with big hair and parachute pants. Things were so simple then! Anyway, I managed to drive myself back home and CRASH I was asleep. I think the double dose of magnesium was a little much for me. I then proceeded to be sick at my stomach for the next 36 hours which made it impossible to eat. Again, I think the double shot did me in. I noticed on the paperwork that they usually administer one shot to those aged 12 and under. I have decided that I must be a 12 and under magnesium girl. Anyway, I made my way back to the Quest clinic on Thursday morning and turned in my jug of "Lemonade" and guess what? They wanted more blood. Lucky me! I thought for a split second that I could just make a run for it and bail on the blood givin', but then I remembered I am not that fast. As Beau says, "Cindy the only thing that changes when you go from a jog to a sprint in the expression on your face!" I am slow I know so I let them poke my arm once more and then I got the heck out of there. I am now waiting for results.
I start collecting spit on the 5th of May for the female hormone panel. I will keep you posted on that as well.
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