B Vitamins

B vitamins were once considered as one, single vitamin as opposed to 8 distinct vitamins. This blog entry will look into B Vitamins as a whole.

What are B Vitamins?

B Vitamins are water soluble vitamins and play an important role in the metabolism of cells. In total there are 8 B Vitamins (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 12) and each has its own name.

Health Benefits of B Vitamins

With there being different individual B Vitamins the health benefits are more widespread. Each one has different properties. However, as a whole, B Vitamins are important and there are a number of health benefits associated with them. Below is a list of some of the main health benefits associated with the consumption of B Vitamins:

• Help to convert food into energy
• Helps to maintain healthy skin, hear and muscle tone
• Promotes the growth of cells
• Help with red blood cells
• Reduce the risk of heart disease
• Can help to fight depression
• Helps our immune system
• Can reduce anemia

What are the sources of B Vitamins?

There are a number of natural sources of B Vitamins before we begin looking into supplements. Some of the best sources of B Vitamins are; animal products, asparagus, broccoli, spinach, bananas, potatoes, milk, eggs, yoghurt, nuts, fish and wholegrain rice and cereals.

So it is clear that we definitely need B Vitamins in our diet and luckily there are plenty of foods available that are high in B Vitamins so there is no excuse!

Essential Vitamins for the Overweight

Often our diet is not good enough, or we have off days. At times like this we can supplement our diet with vitamin tablets. However, if we are carrying a few extra kilograms that we don’t want then there are certain vitamins that we must ensure we are getting enough of, whether this is through food or supplements.

Vitamins C, D and E are essential vitamins in this scenario. With extra weight, our bones take more load making them weaker. This is where vitamin D is vital. Vitamin D is a bone strengthening vitamin and can help to counter the extra weight being put on the bones.

Being overweight also increases the chances of developing diabetes. Vitamins C and E come in here. Both this vitamins help to protect blood vessels and to control blood sugar levels.

So, while we may just think that any extra weight will look bad, there are other issues that can arise and it is important that we are aware of them and combat them.

Why Diet and Nutrition is so important - Part 2

Why Diet and Nutrition is so important

This is the second part of the blog entry examining why diet and nutrition is so important to us, and why we must be aware of what we are consuming. This entry will look at water, vitamins and minerals in particular. 

Water

Water is crucial to our body functioning correctly. When we are even slightly dehydrated our body is not working as it should be. Water carries oxygen and nutrients around the body, allowing the body to function. It also clears out waste and dissipates body heat. It is important to note that we should not wait until we feel thirsty to drink water, as by then we are already slightly dehydrated.

Vitamins

We should aim to get our vitamins from food, not pills. This is something that a lot of research appears to agree on. Vitamins are vital for the body to function correctly, as they ensure that a lot of complicated actions happen. Vitamins help to allow the body to make energy from other nutrients, help the bones and muscles to grow, help with our cells and many other functions that we need just to live!

Minerals

As with vitamins it is important that we get our minerals from food rather than a tablet. We do not actually need large amounts of minerals but they are still vital for our body. Bone structure, heartbeat and cell activity are all impacted by our mineral intake.

Another thought

An important point to remember is that our diet plan will vary on what our goals are. For example, if we want to bulk up then it is important to increase the number of calories we consume during the day, focussing on increases in protein and carbohydrates.

Why Diet and Nutrition is so important - Part 1

Why diet and nutrition is so important

Not only is the food and drink we intake important for fuelling our workout it is vital in the way we look. If we want our perfect body then our diet will have a massive say in achieving it. This post is the first of two parts that will examine why what we eat is so important to us.

Why eat right?

If we are eating right our body runs much more efficiently; with our muscles being fuelled better, bulked faster and repaired easier. Basically, eating right will lead to us getting stronger and more resilient. There are a variety of classes of nutrients that are important to us; carbohydrates, proteins, fats, water, vitamins and minerals. Each type of nutrient is important for different reasons.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates (like fats) get a bad press and there is often anti-carbohydrate press out there. The Atkins diet has been a big fad over recent years, which involves eating very few carbohydrates. Carbs do not deserve this bad reputation. Sure, sugar and other sweeteners should not be over consumer. However, fruits, vegetables and whole grains contain carbohydrates that are vital to our health. Generally, carbohydrates should make up around 30-50% of our diet.

Protein

Protein is pretty much the building block of muscle. If we want to build muscle then protein is vital. Studies have shown that protein from animals builds muscle much better than protein from soya and vegetables. The most widely accepted pieces of research would lead us to believe that we should aim to eat between 0.27 to 0.37 grams of protein per kilo of body weight daily.

Fats

Like carbohydrates fats have a really bad press. The nutritional value of some fats has been seriously underrated, whilst the drawbacks have been grossly exaggerated. Basically, we need fat. We should aim to avoid trans fats, and saturated fats to a degree, but should aim to get the other fats into our diet.