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| Health Info
» Multi-vitamins |
HOW CAN
MULTIVITAMINS HELP WITH
ENERGY?
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In order
to get your body to work
your body needs fuel or
food. It then transports
that fuel to each cell.
Inside each cell are little
engines called mitochondria.
They take in the fuel and
process it to release
energy. The energy is used
to power all cell processes
and is the ultimate source
of your body’s energy.
Another body system that
impacts on energy is the
glandular system. Picture it
as the fuel injector of your
body. It regulates what fuel
gets into the body, which
cells get the fuel and in
what amounts. The blood
cells are also a critical
component of the body’s
energy system. They carry
oxygen, a catalyst for many
cell activities, around the
body.
Poor nutrition impacts on
energy in obvious ways. If
your body does not have
enough raw materials to
provide for it’s functioning
then you will feel fatigued.
The standard North American
diet is deficient in
vitamins, minerals and
essential fatty acids. It is
high in saturated fat,
refined carbohydrates and
chemical additives and
preservatives.
These substances not only do
not give your body usable
energy, but they also
inhibit the use of good
quality food by depleting
enzymes and hormones
necessary for energy
conversion. The body must
also deal with the toxic
by-products of foods like
bleached flour and sugar,
artificial sweeteners and
flavours and trans-fatty
acids. Energy expenditure is
funnelled towards
detoxification of these
substances instead of
growth, cell replication and
metabolism.
HOW CAN MULTIVITAMINS HELP
WITH STRESS?
Stress is usually thought of
as a negative factor in our
daily lives but it is
necessary part of life.
Without stress life becomes
boring. The key to stress,
as with everything else in
life, is balance. Enough to
keep you interested but not
enough to become
overwhelmed. Individuals
have different thresholds
for stress. What is seen as
stressful to one person may
not be stressful to another.
The stress response is the
body’s way of preparing for
action. As our species
evolved it kept us safe,
allowing us to fight for
survival, or to flee from
dangerous situations. The
sympathetic nervous system
response involves increased
heart rate, blood pressure
and adrenal output, as well
as increased blood flow to
the brain, muscles, lungs
and heart. Those organs that
are not needed to fight or
flee receive less blood
flow, for example, the
digestive organs. This
response is very efficient
for a short period of time
but it is meant to be used
sparingly.
Irregular eating patterns
stress the body by not
providing nutrients at
regular intervals. When the
body is lacking nutrients it
compromises the body’s
functioning. When an
individual finally does eat
the body rushes to use the
nutrients and store whatever
it does not need, in
anticipation that the next
meal may not come for a
while. Regular
supplementation with a good
quality multivitamin can
help reduce stress by
supplying important
nutrients. |
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