Boron is a trace mineral often overlooked in discussions concerning nutrition, yet, it plays a vital role in maintaining overall health and well-being. While it may not be as well-known as some other essential nutrients, it has gained increasing attention in recent years for its potential benefits in supporting various bodily functions. From bone health to cognitive function, hormonal modulation and beyond, boron supplementation has emerged as an area of interest for those seeking to optimize their health. In this article we will delve into its potential health benefits, dietary and supplemental sources, recommended intake levels, and safety considerations.
If you have spent any time in a gym or reading fitness magazines it’s doubtful you haven’t heard of creatine monohydrate. Creatine Monohydrate is a popular supplement used by athletes, bodybuilders, and fitness enthusiasts. It is a naturally occurring compound found in our muscles, which plays a vital role in providing energy during high-intensity exercise. The supplement form of creatine has been extensively researched and shown to provide a range of benefits, including increased muscle size and strength, improved exercise performance, enhanced recovery time, and reduced fatigue.
If you are like me beets aren’t exactly your favorite vegetable to eat let alone drink. It’s not that it tastes bad I just don’t care for it. So, when I started hearing about all the supposed benefits I had to take a hard look at it. Fortunately I don’t actually have to eat beetroot or juice it to drink though those are certainly options for many. Thankfully beetroot powder is readily available.
Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body. It is found in bone, skin, muscle, tendon, connective tissues even in the eyes. The fibrous nature of collagen gives structure to your skin and bone working like a type of scaffolding. It helps to make our skin and connective tissues better hydrated, stronger and more elastic. Unfortunately, as we age we begin to produce less and less collagen.
If you ever bought a lotion or serum to reduce wrinkles you have likely heard of the ingredient hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid or hyaluronate is a gooey substance manufactured in the body and found throughout particularly in connective tissue, blood vessels, organs, skin, and joint cartilage. In fact the human body contains about 15 grams of it. It is also found in synovial fluid (the body’s natural joint lubricant).
Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body with 99% being stored in our bones and teeth. We all know that calcium is important in children for proper bone and teeth formation and as we age for bone density. Did you know that calcium also has many other functions in the body? Calcium is important for muscle contraction, nerve signal messaging, and in blood vessels for circulation. Calcium also regulates heart rate, fluid balance within cells and the release of hormones and enzymes affecting many body functions. The body doesn’t produce calcium so demands must be met by diet and supplementation.
Open a health or celebrity magazine or look online for healthy tips and you’ll be sure to find countless articles expounding about the benefits of drinking celery juice. Read enough of these claims and you’ll believe we found the Holy Grail. Touted benefits include: prevents cancer, lowers cholesterol, heals leaky gut, prevents kidney and gall stones, treats insomnia, aids weight loss and keeps skin and hair youthful. I skipped a few, but you get the idea.
If you are like me and well frankly like most people I know you probably have an occasional and maybe, not so occasional craving for carbs. Who doesn’t enjoy the texture, the flavor and the sheer joy of eating a plate of pasta, or bread or potatoes, I definitely do. It’s unfortunate that those same delicious comfort foods are also leading us to higher levels of diabetes, heart disease, cancer and obesity. If you are on a low carbohydrate diet, for better or worse, you probably already swore these off. Well, what if I was to tell you that you can still enjoy these foods and not only would they improve immune function and digestive health, but also help you lose weight. Yes, carbs helping you lose weight. There is a catch though, all be it a doable one, you have to change the way you eat them.
As the USDA rushes to make changes to their food pyramid, many of us already have. Many Americans have taken up low carb or very low carb diets such as The Paleo Diet, South Beach Diet or even Atkins. Still others though not restricting carbohydrates eat a large amount of protein as well. With more and more evidence exhibiting that obesity, diabetes and heart disease have all increased with elevated carbohydrate intake it’s no surprise that consumers would alter their diet and animal protein consumption would fill the gap.
I was watching Hawaii Five–O the other day when in a scene one of the stars (character name Steve McGarrett) cut a large piece of butter and plopped it into his coffee. When asked by the squeamish character Danny what the heck he’s doing he explains it as a Navy SEAL trick to boost cognitive function, alertness and energy. This practice with historical origins in Ethiopia and Tibet using tea with yak butter is now being brought to you by Silicon Valley entrepreneur Dave Asprey.
Undoubtedly you are familiar with one or more of the USDA’s food pyramids guiding us to a supposed healthier lifestyle. Well, the USDA and Department of Health and Human Services have posted their new dietary guidelines for 2015 on their website health.gov. These, the very same fat phobic institutions that as far back as 1980 gave us carbohydrates as the base (largest portion) of their vaunted pyramid are now back with a new improved guideline.
If you watch Dr. Oz, The View, or any of a zillion different websites you have likely heard of Caralluma Fimbriata along with all the claims about its amazing weight loss properties. Caralluma Fimbriata is a succulent plant (type of cactus) that grows in India and Sri Lanka and into North Africa. It has been eaten for centuries in these countries. The buzz around this plant stems from the historical use of it by hunters and tribesmen to control hunger and thirst while on the hunt. The effects are claimed to last an entire day and all with increased endurance.
Do you have the will power to walk into a bakery and not buy anything? If this is a battle you have fought and lost, and perhaps more than once, you must take comfort in knowing you are not alone. Still this fact probably doesn’t make you feel any better, you may be angry with yourself, possibly even depressed. Those few blissful moments, the ones you so skillfully rationalized into being (I worked out today, I’ll eat a light dinner) have now passed. Soon it will just be you, your mirror and your conscience. Oh, if I can just walk past the bathroom mirror and not look.
It the answer that you seek lays before you, would you recognize it?
When is the last time you went to a bookstore or looked online for a diet book? Do so and you quickly find hundreds even thousands all claiming to have the answer you seek. Diet obsession has become a quest for the unattainable; a metaphorical Holy Grail.
Recently, I was at a house party at a client’s home. The house was filled with smart and interesting people that I quickly discovered were largely physicians from various fields of medicine. As I made my way around the room and was introduced as the home owner’s personal trainer and weight loss guy I began to have several party goers engage me in conversation. First came their opinions that two of their colleagues’, (both my clients) were probably too thin now and might need to eat a little more. A few jokes in that regard followed. Of course opinions are only your opinion if you really believe them.
We all know we should eat more fruit and vegetables they’re high in fiber, vitamins, enzymes, and naturally low in calories. Well, there is another great reason to indulge: antioxidants. Think of antioxidants as nature’s army going after and stopping cell disrupting terrorists know as free radicals. Antioxidants bind with free radicals until they can be safely eliminated from the body. Free radicals are those little scavengers that cause aging, inflammation and disease. Want to live longer, healthier, well then eat up kiddies.
Recent statistical information brings to light that Vitamin D deficiency is alarmingly on the rise. Likely reasons for this trend are a decrease in dairy consumption due to increases in vegan and vegetarian lifestyles, lactose intolerance and increase use of sunscreens. 75% of Americans do not get sufficient vitamin D. The average American diet provides only 100 IU per day. Dark skinned people in less sunny areas are particularly susceptible to deficiency.
