Vitamin A and Retinol

Vitamin A is important to maintain clear vision, promoting healthy skin and the production of red blood cells. Retinol is the animal form of the vitamin A is stored in the liver after absorption by the body and used when needed. By eating certain fruits, vegetables, grains and supplements, you can ensure an adequate intake of vitamin.

According to the USDA, the average person should consume at least 900 micrograms of vitamin D per day, but not more than 3,000 micrograms.

Fruits
Melons are an excellent source of vitamin A, as well as mangoes, melons, apricots, tangerines, plums and watermelons. To maximize your intake of vitamin, eat these fruits raw by preparing a fruit salad. There are bound to be fresh, so you can always buy frozen or canned.

Vegetables
Like fruits, vegetables should also be eaten raw to maximize vitamin A and retinol intake. However, if you have to cook, steaming is the preferred method, as performed frying some of the nutrients. The vegetables that are rich in vitamin A include carrots, spinach, sweet potatoes, tomatoes or other leafy greens.


Other sources
Having a quick bowl of oatmeal in the morning is a great way to get vitamin A. Milk, cheese and butter are also good sources. Most proteins do not have a lot of vitamin A or retinol, but wild salmon contains minimal. This can be purchased fresh or canned in your local supermarket.

Supplements
If you incorporate the above foods regularly in your daily diet, it is likely to need to take a vitamin supplement. In fact, it is important to note that too much vitamin A can be toxic. Warning signs of an overdose include nausea, headaches and muscle and joint pain. If you require a supplement of retinol, most pharmacies and health stores have a wide variety of brands.

High Cholesterol in the Heart - Effects

Data
Cholesterol is a soft substance, similar to fat that is often found in meat and dairy products. The body requires a small level of cholesterol to make hormones and vitamin D. HDL, high density lipoproteins or is a beneficial form of cholesterol. HDL helps remove excess cholesterol from the blood. LDL or low density lipoprotein, is a bad form of cholesterol. Creates LDL cholesterol deposits that clog blood vessels.

High Cholesterol
High cholesterol has no symptoms. There are special blood tests that can be used to test your cholesterol level. The heart needs a constant supply of blood. When LDL blocks arteries, restricting blood flow to the heart. This can cause a heart attack by hungry heart with blood, oxygen and nutrients. This kills heart cells.

heart disease
Atherosclerosis is hardening of the arteries. Cholesterol is attached to the walls of blood vessels. This buildup is called plaque over time and causes the hardening of the arteries. This prevents blood from reaching your heart fast enough for normal heart function. In severe cases, this can stop the flow of blood altogether. When this occurs in the coronary arteries is called coronary heart disease.

angina
When large deposits of plaque cause chest pain, which means that the heart is being deprived of oxygen-rich blood. Sometimes, deposits can break off and cause blood clots. This can potentially block blood flow. This is known as angina pectoris or myocardial infarction. Angina is a common symptom of coronary heart disease. It is a warning sign that your cholesterol levels should be under control.

reduction
What you eat can affect your cholesterol level. Eating a lot of saturated fat will cause high levels of cholesterol build up in the blood. Being overweight also tends to increase cholesterol levels. Physical activity can lower LDL and raise HDL levels. It's best to try to be active on a regular schedule of about 30 minutes each day.

Some Tips for Smart Shopping

Food shopping can be expensive, especially when families are trying to eat healthy and stay within budget. Fortunately, there are many ways to make your shopping cart is still easy on the poket but full of good food.

These smart shopping tips help when you're next to the supermarket.
Supermarkets and grocery stores are designed to encourage you to buy, sometimes at the expense of your budget and health. Use these helpful tips to help you stay within budget and stay healthy!

Decide what you can afford:
As simple as it may seem, many of us arrive at the supermarket without knowing how much we can spend. If you do not know, you can easily spend more than you can afford. Plan your food budget weekly or monthly in advance and stick to it!

Use a shopping list:
Write a shopping list before you go shopping. This will save time and prevent you from buying extras.

Eat before you buy:
You are more likely to buy unnecessary extras such as chips, candy and chocolate if you shop when you're hungry.

Buy in season:
Fruits and vegetables are cheaper when in season, so most of the best prices when your favorites are at their best. Remember, it pays to shop around for bargains. For example, try local farmers market where the product is intended to be fresh.

Adapt your recipes:
Experiment substituting ingredients for less expensive options and healthier. For example, use milk instead of cream, or add beans to a beef stew. If fresh vegetables are too expensive or out of season, replace the frozen, that are just as good for you.

Reduce the amount of food to go:
Bars cost much more than homemade food and typically contain more fat and salt. Instead, try to make similar meals at home and having takeaways for the treatment of the family from time to time.

Nutrition and healthy eating

Did you know that about every 25 seconds someone in the U.S. is having a coronary? This makes heart disease the leading cause of death in the U.S. And that's why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has declared February as National Heart Month.

In recognition of the importance of heart health, the Mayo Clinic is the release of a new book, "Mayo Clinic Healthy Heart for Life!" during National Heart Month. The novelty of this book is that it puts the latest guidelines for the fight against heart disease to work for you with a quick start program easy to two weeks. This guide will help you work on new lifestyle habits that can help prevent heart disease.

I challenge you to jump on the bandwagon of heart health. During the next two weeks, I want:

Eat 5. Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day.

Move 10. Increase activity and exercise at least 10 minutes longer than they normally do every day.
Sleeping 8. Get 8 hours of sleep each night.

Each of these simple habits sounding addresses complex bodily functions.

By eating 5 or more fruits and vegetables every day to fuel your body with powerful vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants and other healthful plant compounds. These help to reduce cholesterol and sugar levels in the blood, regulate heartbeat, and protect delicate blood vessels. These foods are also abundant and move heavier starches and fatty meats.

By increasing your physical activity 10 minutes a day you will burn a few more calories and make improvements in blood pressure, cholesterol, heart and blood vessel strength, and overall fitness levels. Just stand - standing during commercials, walk while talking on the phone. It is a fact that you feel the most of the day increases the risk of heart disease.

Did you know that the very lack of sleep increases blood pressure and risk of heart attack? Sleep deprivation also increases the risk of obesity and diabetes - are also associated with heart disease. Chances are, if you are not rested, is also stressed. Get to bed early so you can get a good 8 hours of sleep.

Keep a diary of what you do with these goals in the coming weeks. Did you eat 5? Did you move in October? What about sleep 8? What is important is that you try to make them.

Come back here to report on their progress and share their strategies. Of course, there are other things you need to do to the heart health. I'm sure you will find that this quick start for a healthy heart will be enough to motivate you to do other healthy changes necessary.

Food Allergies - Treatment Overview

The best treatment for food allergies is to avoid the food that causes the allergy. When this is not possible, you can use medications such as antihistamines for mild reactions in drug allergy kit for serious reactions.

Start by talking with your family, friends, and coworkers that you have a food allergy, and ask them to help you avoid the food. Read all food labels and know the other names that can be used for food allergens.

If your baby has an allergy to milk or soy, your doctor may suggest that you either change the formula or feed your baby only breast milk. Specially prepared formulas are available for children who have allergies to soy and milk.

If you or your child has mild allergies, your doctor may suggest counter antihistamines to control symptoms. You may need prescription antihistamines if the counter medications do not help or cause side effects such as drowsiness.

If you have a severe allergic reaction, the first treatment can be performed in an emergency room or emergency personnel. You will be given a shot of epinephrine to stop further release of histamine and to relax the muscles that help you breathe.

How to treat a reaction
If your doctor has prescribed an allergy kit, keep it with you. Syringe containing epinephrine and antihistamine tablets. Your doctor or pharmacist will teach you how to give the injection. Be sure to check the expiration dates of drugs, medicines and replace as needed.

For step by step instructions on how to give the shot, see:

Allergies: Giving an epinephrine shot.
Allergies in Children: Giving an epinephrine shot to a child.

You should also wear a medical alert bracelet or other jewelry that lists your allergies to food. You can order medical alert jewelry through most pharmacies or on the Internet.

Children and Food Allergies
It is important to take special care with children who have food allergies. A child with severe allergies can have a severe anaphylactic reaction to even a small amount of a food allergen. Your child should always wear a medical alert bracelet and carry an allergy kit.

Make sure all caregivers (school administrators, teachers, friends, coaches and caregivers):

- Learn about your child's food allergy.
- You can recognize the symptoms of a food allergy.
- Know where you save the allergy kit and how to give the injection of epinephrine.
- Know to call 911 immediately.

Children may have only mild symptoms in the first few minutes after eating the offending food, but they can have severe symptoms in 10-60 minutes. Children should always be observed in the hospital for several hours after a reaction.

Make sure your child

- Always wears a medical alert bracelet.
- Always carry a kit of allergy. Children at risk of severe allergic reactions should keep computers in school    or daycare, and home. , Mature older children should be taught to get the shot.

Some ways to Outsmart Nutrition Labels

Words like "all natural", "multigrain" and "0 grams trans fat" automatically captured our eyes when we are exploring the shelves of grocery stores. But just because the label is decked out with all the right jargon does not necessarily mean that what is underneath the container is good for you. How do you know for sure what is healthy and what is not? Get a photo-flip the bag, box packed or around can, look at the list of ingredients and nutritional information, and use these tips to determine if a food is to the height of your first impression, or simply put a front.
10 essential ingredients that every man needs in his kitchen

1. Trans Fats
When trans fat clogs arteries and increases bad cholesterol levels, it is difficult to justify eating even the smallest amount of things. But when you pick the products touting "0 grams trans fat" on their packages, it could still be some trans fat in food. Why? Food labeling laws allow the FDA food containing less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving to read 0 grams of trans fat on the label. Even if a food has 0.4 grams of trans fat per serving, after some portions, really bad fats can accumulate.
Outsmart Tag: Look for the words "partially hydrogenated" in the list of ingredients, trans fats code.

2. Multigrain
Eating more whole grains is a smart move, but eating foods "multigrain" may not get you closer to your goal of whole grain. "Multigrain" simply means that the product is made of various types of grains, which can include whole grains such as oats and wheat, but can also include refined grains like white flour.
Smarter than the label: Look for a minimum of 2-3 grams of fiber per serving on the nutrition panel. This is an indication that there is whole grain multigrain mix. Also check the ingredient list for wheat, oats, millet, brown rice or quinoa.
10 ways to eat more whole grains >>>

3. Added sugar
Take a few extra seconds classification sugar. Simply scan the nutrition panel grams of sugar is not sufficient, as not all sugars are sabotaging your healthy eating efforts. Foods like milk and food-based real fruit have natural sugars. For example, a cup of milk contains 13 grams of sugar, but sugar is actually lactose, or milk sugar, no sugar it could spoon in the morning coffee.
More intelligent tag: If a panel of nutrition indicates no sugar foods, check the ingredients. If sugar is naturally occurring sweeteners will not listed. Words like sugar (obviously), brown sugar, honey, molasses, sucanat, concentrated fruit juice, syrup, malt syrup, maltodextrin and means that the product contains no added sugar.

4. All Natural
Do not be fooled - "all natural" does not mean organic. In fact, it usually means almost nothing except maybe drop a couple of dollars on a meal that does not offer great health advantages over competing brands.
Outsmart Tag: When buying organic foods, look for the seal of USDA certified organic, which means that the product contains ingredients that are 95% or more organic. Do not let the phrase "made with organic ingredients" stumble-phrase can be used when at least 70% of the ingredients are certified organic. Also note that junk food can be organic, too. Organic gummies are even straight-up sugar. Maximize your food budget by choosing organic whole foods, like fruits, vegetables, meat, milk and grains.
The Dirty Dozen: Fruits and Vegetables >>>

5. Chemical Ingredients poll
When you get used to reading the list of ingredients, it is easy to become hyper-aware of what you are eating. That is fine, but do not get too worked up over fear sounding ingredients before knowing the facts.
Outsmart Tag: Some chemical sounding ingredients are completely safe and can actually help keep food fresh. These include:
Alpha tocopherol: Another name for vitamin E, an antioxidant that is used in wheat products and vegetable oils to prevent them spoiling.
Calcium Propionate: A preservative that is used in breads and rolls to prevent mold growth. Calcium is a mineral safe and beneficial.
Carrageenan: a thickening agent and stabilizer used in foods as ice cream, chocolate milk, and cheese, Carrageenan comes from a family of large molecules derived from algae digestible.
Citric Acid: Used to control the acidity in ice cream, sorbets and fruit drinks, citric acid is most abundant metabolite found naturally in citrus fruits and berries.

Vitamin E gives extra boost heart health of smokers who quit

Washington: Take a specific form of a vitamin E supplement can give an additional quitters in their efforts toward a healthy lifestyle, new research has found.

In the small study, improving the function of blood vessels associated with the addition of vitamin E potentially resulting in an estimated 19 percent greater drop in the future risk of cardiovascular disease.

Smokers were recruited to participate in a smoking cessation study for seven days, with blood markers of inflammation and blood vessel function before and after the trial. After seven days of not smoking, participants saw an increase in vascular function by an average of 2.8 percent. Those who quit smoking and also took the gamma-tocopherol form of vitamin E showed a 1.5 percent improvement in vascular function further.

While these changes in vascular function may appear to be small, prior large scale studies suggest that each 1 percent increase in vascular function - s or improved ability to dilate blood vessel `- translates into a drop of 13 percent in the risk of developing heart disease in the future.


"This is a very short-term study that shows promising effects," said Richard Bruno, associate professor of human nutrition at Ohio State University and lead author of the study.

"The fundamental reason is that we know that it takes many years before the risk of cardiovascular disease of a ex-smoker matches that of a nonsmoker. Expect to develop a therapy for smoking cessation combined with that could accelerate the restoration of vascular function and reduce cardiovascular risk. "

The supplement in the study is not the same as the average vitamin E available on most store shelves. Vitamin E occurs in eight different ways depending on their chemical structure, and the most common form belongs to a variety called tocopherols.

In this study, researchers tested the effects of the form of gamma-tocopherol. The most common form of vitamin E, and one to which humans have a dietary requirement, is alpha-tocopherol.

While taking gamma-tocopherol is safe, Bruno noted that long-term studies with more participants would have to specify the specific dietary recommendations related to quitting.

A total of 30 smokers in their 20s who had smoked at least half a pack a day for a year participated in the study. All participants quit smoking, and 16 received 500 mg of gamma-tocopherol, while 14 received a placebo.

In addition to taking blood samples, the researchers measured vascular function by ultrasound imaging of an artery in the arm as the ship responded to an increased flow of blood after circulation in the arm was stopped for five minutes.

The quality of vascular function is defined by the ability of `s of the artery to dilate in response to the surge of blood - more dilation suggests the ship has adequate responses to changes in blood flow.

"The Mayor dilatory response is an indicator of vascular health. Individuals with a history of smoking tend to have low vasodilator responses," said Bruno.

Participants who took supplements showed greater improvements in vascular function and also had lower levels of two inflammation-related proteins in the blood that participants who received a placebo did.

Bruno said lower levels of these two proteins in the blood of the participants' supplemented suggest that the gamma-tocopherol vitamin E restore vascular function at least in part by reducing inflammation.

The study was recently presented at the Experimental Biology annual meeting in Boston.