The Importance of Vitamins when Dieting
In our quest to get that “perfect” body, we actually tend to lose our focus on the real things that should matter to us, such as our health and well-being. Thus, we end up not only neglecting our insides but possibly our relationships with others as well. Cutting down on our daily calorie intake does not necessarily assure us of a slimmer waistline and smaller thighs. However, having our calorie-levels set way down low what dieticians actually prescribe is not only sheer shallowness but a cause a lot of ill effects on your health. From mood swings to fainting spells, our bodies tend to give out whatever “distress signals” it can think of just to tell you to stop that mindless way of dieting.
When it comes to dieting, do bear in mind that food is not the enemy – it never was. It’s actually the way we abuse our bodies that can turn everything into a downward spiral. Stop obsessing about what you’ve eaten in a day (or the lack of it) in order to keep yourself fit and healthy you’ll actually need food (with all its vitamin and mineral content) to help you achieve this. Remember, do everything in moderation (especially in dieting).
Unknown to the “anorexic community” who would rather die than actually eat, there are certain vitamins and minerals – that we can get from the right type of food which are actually essential how we’ll be able to convert these nutrients into energy rather than just store them into our thighs and bellies as fat. As much as we try to deny ourselves of the proper amount of food that our bodies need in order for it to run much more efficiently, we actually need a big lifestyle change and make sure to always keep in mind recommended daily levels of vitamins and minerals that our bodies need in order to be healthy and fit.
When it comes to dieting, we must always keep in mind the importance of the Vitamin B complex. This kind of vitamin actually plays an important role in how fast our body can digest the food that we put in and eventually turning it into physical energy. When food is properly digested, our bodies greatly benefit from this because aside from not storing excess fat, being healthy actually makes as more alert and less prone to illnesses. Vitamin B2, B3 and B6 however, are all associated with the proper functioning of the thyroid gland. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies can actually affect the way this gland works in a big, big way. A clear sign of a disruption in how the thyroid gland functions is when our metabolism goes haywire and prevents us from determining the amount and rate of the calories that we burn off.
Another important mineral that we can acquire from actual eating is Zinc, just one of the many minerals that can actually help people with dieting safely. This mineral can actually have an effect on the way our food taste as well as on how we’ll be able to control our appetites. Along with Vitamin A and Vitamin E, Zinc is a mineral that helps people in regulating their thyroid hormones.
It’s also important to note that when it comes to dieting and nutrition concerns, it is really not just the reflection of ourselves that we see on the mirror which should serve as our gauge on whether or not we’re healthy. Dieting can actually be very emotionally stressful and when we lack certain vitamins and minerals it can actually be a small step towards depression. For many people who have weight problems, food actually helps us feel better, even acts as our “security blankets” whenever we’re down on the dumps. Which is why skipping meals or just basically not eating at all is not the way to diet, it’ll not just give you an ulcer but mental illness (depression) as well.
It is also important to keep in mind the big impact that the Vitamin B complex has on our mental health. Deficiencies in the vitamins that make up the B complex can actually result in a series of complications which might lead to a mental illness such as confusion, anxiety, depression, dementia, paranoia and even psychosis. Furthermore, deficiencies in the Vitamin B complex can bring about insomnia which can make any one of those symptoms much worse.
Vitamin C is another vitamin that is important to one’s overall feeling of well-being. Arm yourself with the proper knowledge with regards to how we can greatly benefit from the various vitamins and minerals that we can find in our daily food intake. The production of serotonin and dopamine as well as the maintaining of chemical balance within the brain is a something that can be well regulated with the proper intake of the available nutrients.
Nutrition is especially important to the success of any weight loss diet. Dietary supplements, taken accordingly to the prescribed amount, can be an excellent way to maintain nutrient levels while reducing caloric intake.
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Charlene J. Nuble 2005. For up to date links and information about Vitamins, please go to: http://vitamins.besthealthlink.net/ or for updated links and information on all health related topics, go to: besthealthlink.net/
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Could False Memories Be An Efficient Diet Helper?
Speculating on the scientifically proven memory unreliability, the memory specialist Elizabeth Loftus, a professor of psychology at the University of California at Irvine thought of using the technique of false memory induction as a new approach to dieting. And this is how: by inducing false memories about specific foods.
It was proven by scientific studies that under the right circumstances, false memories can be easily ingrafted in some people. Amazing results were obtained from performing such tests and studies on this topic: successfully instilling false memories from plausible false childhood memories (which are easy to instill) and imagination inflation to impossible memories (such as pretense memories from the first year of life – it is known that such memories are impossible from the strictly physiological point of view, because of the insufficient maturation of the hippocampus, which plays a key role in the creation of retrievable memories).
On a study made on a group of students on food preferences, they ranked a range of foods on a scale of one to five. In a second phase the students were shown a presumptive childhood food profile which had been made-up containing false memories of bad experiences during childhood when eating dill pickles or hard-boiled eggs. Ulterior questionning of students on their food memories revealed that 25 percent in the pickle group and 31 percent in the hard-boiled eggs group thought that they had indeed gotten sick from the food as children.
However, most of the subjects didn’t fall for the fake memories.
So, a first weak part in applying this technique is thus revealed: only a certain category of people is more susceptible for adopting suggestioned memories as their own. These persons share specific traits such as lapses in memory and attention. Also, people who are adept at visual imagery may be prone to suggestion.
The second soft spot of this theory is that there are limits to influencing eating habits, it cannot be applied for every food. For example, it was proven on a previous study that although suggestioned against potato chips consumption, people could not be convinced to avoid this food. A possible explanation would be the fact that they had plenty of experience with the food.
On the other hand, false memories induction can help influencing not only avoidance of certain foods but also healthy food choices.
Another potential problem that could be generated when applying this “therapy” might be the total exclusion of the targeted food or even food group from one’s diet, which cannot be totally convenient.
This ground is still experimental, the theory is being subjected to further study and is still too preliminary to clearly indicate how it might be applied into dieting.
Thinking that memories can be erased or instilled at one’s will (usually a psychiatrist’s will) generates a great deal of inquietude for many of us. Well, however much the False Memories Syndrome might be a trouble generator, its adjustment for dietary needs would be a very convenient solution for solving some unwanted cravings and a very good helper or even replacement to will training.
Laura Ciocan writes for dietsindex.com where you can find more information about the most popular diets and diet aids.
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