NutriBox.net

Avocados originate from Central-America and are grown in most tropic and sub-tropic areas. The fruit is estimated to be more than 7000 years old and come in many varieties. It grows on trees and is a fruit, but since it doesn’t taste sweet some people actually think it is a vegetable. The avocado can weight everything from 150g to 2kg. There are numerous of benefits of eating avocados. It has been proven to help against everything from weight loss to cancer. In this article we are going to elaborate about the most important nutrition facts for avocado.

Healthy Fats

Avocados are on average about 22% fat. You don’t have to worry about the high amount of fat in avocados as they are of the good kind. This fat actually plays a part in lowering the chances of heart disease. There are also great levels of protein in this fruit.

Vitamin E

There are many nutrition facts of an avocado that has been proven excellent for health. The high amount of one of the essential vitamins, vitamin E, is probably the most interesting. Avocado is actually the fruit with the highest amount of vitamin E, which helps to fight a wide array of diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

Cholesterol

Avocados have large amounts of the nutrient beta- sitosterol that is scientifically proven to have a great impact on lowering the bad cholesterol. There have been several studies conducted on this phenomenon, the most promising one, showing a reduction in cholesterol levels of 17%. The study was conducted over a period of only one week where participants were asked to eat avocados every day.

Folate (folic acid)

Folate is also a nutrient that comes in large amounts in avocados. This is, as with many other nutrients in avocados, beneficial for the heart function. It is shown to lower the risk of heart disease.

Weight Loss

There are different aspects of why avocados can help in weight loss regiments. The most important one is simply replacing margarine, butter, cheese and cream with avocado. This both increases healthy fatty acids intake and reduces the amount of calories you otherwise would’ve ingested.

To learn about more aspects of avocados and weight loss, simply do a quick Google search for “nutrition facts avocado weight loss”.

While there mostly are benefits to the nutritional facts for avocado, it does contain certain compound that might, in rare cases, induce allergic reactions. If you feel that you might be an allergic you should contact medical personnel. There are so many benefits of eating avocados that everyone should include them in their diet. Would you really risk the diseases that avocados are shown again and again to be an excellent preventer of?

Bananas have spread all the way from Southeast Asia, where it originates from, to the entire world. Sailors and explorers from Spain and Portugal brought it back to Europe and later to America. Bananas are delicious and filled with healthy nutrients. No wonder it has become one of the most popular fruits to date. The nutrition facts of a banana are impressive. We are going to take a closer look at the most important nutrients in bananas and why they can be beneficial for your health.

Carbohydrates

Due to the massive amounts of carbohydrates in bananas, actually the fruit in the world with the most, it is an excellent choice for athletes needing extra fuel. Not only athletes can benefit from the high carbohydrate amount. The amount of calories in a banana is a measure of its energy. A medium banana of 118 grams is estimated to contain 105 kcal. In other words, bananas is calorie rich and great to get a boost in energy.

Potassium

Potassium is a muscle-building nutrient. It is helpful in the protein synthesis and should therefore be at healthy levels if you are looking to put on lean muscle. Potassium is also beneficial for certain medical conditions, lowering chances of stroke and hypertension (high blood pressure).

Fiber

This is a nutrient that lowers the absorption of dangerous fat in the blood stream. This may be beneficial for those already having too high amounts of cholesterol. Fiber is also good for the overall digestion system.

Calcium

For proper bone development it is absolutely crucial to have healthy calcium levels. This is especially true for the development of bones in early stages of life, but also adults benefit from this.

Vitamin B6

Vitamin B is important for the immune system. It is one of the ingredients that helps in the creation of anti bodies. These fight off infections and disease. Vitamin B6 is also important for proper nerve function.

Vitamin C

Have a lot of the similar properties of vitamin B6 regarding the immune system and protection from infections.

Reading through the nutrition facts about banana, it is obvious why they are so healthy. Bananas are cheap and a great addition to your diet. We don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t eat as many of them as you want.

Vitamin K is important for the blood to coagulate properly. The liver needs vitamin K to produce coagulation factors. In the last couple of years vitamin K has also been linked to bone health. What are the best sources of vitamin K?

The Foods

The best foods with vitamin K are leafy green vegetables such as spinach, kale, broccoli and lettuce. Romaine and rucola are two salads that contain significant large amounts.

Some fresh herbs such as watercress, chives and parsley contain some amount of vitamin K, but not enough to make a noticeable difference unless taken in very large amounts.

Other sources of vitamin K worth mentioning are cooking oils such as rapeseed and soybean oils. The same goes for the margarine and butter made from these sources. Mayonnaise also contain significant amounts of vitamin K

All types of legumes have many benefits in a healthy diet and they also contain relatively large amounts of vitamin K.  Dried lentils, chickpeas, green beans just to mention a few of them.

If you think your vitamin K levels are too low and find it hard to get the amounts need through food, there are several supplements on the market to help you with this. We recommend browsing through sites like amazon and look at the user submitted reviews. You want to make sure the seller has a good reputation before buying any kind of supplements.

Stable Intake

If you eat large amounts of vitamin K, it is important to keep a stable intake, especially in combination with some medicines e.g. the blood thinning drug warfarin.

Variation should not exceed 500 ?g vitamin K. This is equivalent of 50-100 grams of green leafy vegetables. Check with the table below.

Getting healthy levels in your body can be the amount of vitamin K in foods alone. If you find it hard to get the right amount you should consider supplementing.

What foods you are eating have a lot to do with your metabolism and how much fat your body is able to burn. The first thing you want to do to mobilize more fat is to increase your eating frequency. Eat a meal every third or fourth hour during the day. We are taking a look at the top 5 foods for burning fat.

Green Tea

The caffeine in the tea is a big contributor to release the fat from the fat cells. Together with this effect you have antioxidants in the tea that increases the overall energy consumption. Newer studies show that a cup of tea is equivalent of deficit of 80 calories.

Raspberry

In the recent years research has shown that raspberries have a similar effect on burning fat as chilies. Like with green tea, raspberries are also filled with plenty of healthy antioxidants. At these times the only way to get raspberries is by purchasing or picking them, but raspberry supplements are coming in the nearest future.

Grapefruit

Grapefruit and other fruits in the citrus family have rich amounts of vitamin C. This vitamin has the ability to break down fat cells in your body. Grapefruit also has the nutrient HCA, a natural compound that lowers your appetite and reduces the fat storing process. Almost all kinds of fruit is filled with pectin that makes cells bind water and less likely to store fat. An apple a day is sufficient to achieve this effect.

Fish Oil

Fish oil is one of the most recommended supplements you can take. It has rich amounts of vitamin D, as well as the right proportion of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. These are not only beneficial in increasing your metabolism, but also extremely important in prevention of various harmful medical conditions. You can get omega-3 fatty acids from fatty fish, walnuts and certain oils.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is the last of our foods for fat burning. Insulin, the fat storing hormone, is reduced when cinnamon is digested. This is mainly what makes it a part of our fat burning food list. Most people eat too much carbohydrate, which makes our bodies produce too much insulin. Cinnamon is therefore very beneficial for preventing this effect. This nutrient also has a lot of anti-oxidants.

Hair loss is affecting a lot of people around the world and can be hard to deal with. Diet and vitamins are both an important factor in getting a healthy hair. What vitamins are the most beneficial and how do they help my hair?

B Vitamins

The vitamin B complex consists of several vitamins that are water-soluble. They have individual effects, but also have interesting effects when taken together.

You find B vitamins in a wide array of food. Most importantly fruit, grain and protein sources such as fish, fowl, meat and eggs. You can also find these vitamins in dairy.

Some of the effects of these vitamins in terms of hair loss are beneficial and is why vitamin B complex is widely being used as vitamins for hair loss. Prevention of hair loss, increased blood circulation in scalp and an all around healthy growth of new hair is documented.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E also plays a big part in the circulation of blood in the scalp. More blood in the scalp means more nutrients to the hair follicles. This is the way it is a vitamin for hair growth.

Some vegetables are rich of vitamin E, but you can also find it in grains and nuts.

Vitamin A

Lubrication of the hair follicles is improved by having adequate amounts of vitamin K.  Note that overdosing indeed is possible. Vitamin A is not water-soluble meaning it can accumulate in high doses in your body resulting in toxic effects.

Colorful vegetables and eggs are good sources of vitamin K.

Hair growth vitamins work. Having a balanced amount of certain vitamins in your body is beneficial for promoting a healthy hair growth. You should always try to get sufficient vitamins from your diet, but there are also supplements available. If you supplement be careful with dosage. Overdosing is possible and could possibly produce harmful effects. Check with your doctor if you wonder if supplements could benefit you.

Having acne can be hard to cope with. There are medical treatments out there that work, but there are also benefits from supplementing with natural vitamins. It turns out diet and vitamins are important in both repair of skin and preventing of new acne outbreaks. In this article we are talking a closer look at the two best vitamins for acne that can be beneficial acne sufferers.

Vitamin A

Derivatives of vitamin A have been used in acne medication such as Accutane. Some of these medicines come with really bad side effects. Vitamin A strengthens and repair broken skin tissue. This vitamin also reduces the production of sebum. Antioxidants in this vitamin help to prevent free radicals, which cause oxidation. Cells in the skin are damaged by oxidation. As you can see there are great benefits of using vitamin A. This is why it has been so widely used in medicines, but unfortunately they come with side effects. Supplementing with right dosages is beneficial for skin and will help fight the acne.

There are side effects if doses are too high. You should avoid pregnancy at all costs and don’t combine vitamin A with other treatments that cause dry skin.

Vitamin B Complex

Vitamin B Complex is a range of essential vitamins soluble in water except vitamin C. These vitamins have different effects in the body but work synergistically. Stress is causing acne in some cases. One of the effects of vitamin b complex is to reduce stress and has therefore been shown to reduce acne. There are also side effects with using too much of this vitamin. Side effects such as additional problems with skin have been reported.

There is a definite relationship between acne and vitamins for skin. Supplements provide an alternative approach and will in some cases be a safer choice than medicine. Whether you decide to supplement to help fight acne or not you should not overdose. There are side effects and they are potential harmful. Consult with your doctor if you want to know if this could be beneficial for you.

It is important to have sufficient vitamin b12 in your body. It is involved in proper nerve function as well as in the creation of blood cells (both red and white).

For a long time vitamin B12 supplementation has been considered safe. An overdose of vitamin B12 was considered to be eliminated efficiently through the colon. However medical research has linked overdose of vitamin b12 to several illnesses in animal studies, cancer being one of them. What should you consider before you start supplementing?

Symptoms of Low Levels Vitamin D12

In the early stages of low levels of vitamin B12, symptoms are hard to notice and proper diagnosis is difficult. The low levels eventually develop to anemia (decrease in the level of blood cells). This again could lead to nerve damage and psychiatric conditions.

Who Needs Supplementation?

Elderly often have low levels of gastric intrinsic factor, which is a glycoprotein produced in the stomach to help absorb the B12 vitamin. The result is low levels of B12 vitamin and therefore supplementation could help with compensating.

Another big group who could benefit from supplementation are vegetarians and vegans. This is because they lack meat and dairy in their diet. Those are the two only dietary sources you can get vitamin B12. Pregnant women are also in the risk group.

Take a Test Before Supplementing

If you consider yourself in one of the groups above maybe supplementation is the right choice for you. Before you order any supplements you should consult with your doctor. Do you really need a supplementation and is it worth the risk?

The diagnosis of low levels of vitamin B12 is not always easy to conduct and the results could be vague. If everyone where to be tested it turns out that more than half of the positives actually are incorrect.

Overdose Vitamin B12

Overdosing is very rare because vitamin B12 breaks down relatively easy in the colon. However there are some vitamin b12 overdose symptoms if extreme doses have been ingested. Most common is tingling and numbing in your body, panic attacks and heart palpitations. If you experience any of these symptoms, stop supplementing and consult with your doctor.

Vitamin D supplementing has increased over the last several years. Is vitamin D really that beneficial or is it all hype?

Benefits of Vitamin D Supplement

Vitamin D is responsible for keeping normal calcium and phosphor levels in the blood. It also helps bones to absorb calcium, making them stronger. Therefore, a link between calcium and vitamin d supplement has been firmly established. Research has shown vitamin D to be beneficial for reducing the risk of various diseases like cancer, high blood pressure and osteoporosis.

Deficiency of vitamin D is potential harmful and may lead to skeletal deformities in children. Adults will get weaker bones and muscle if they don’t have sufficient levels.

Risk Groups

There are several groups, which have an increased risk of too low levels of vitamin D. The main ones are elderly, obese and those who don’t spend enough time in sunny wetter.

Vitamin D Sources

The best way to get sufficient amount of vitamin D is sun exposure. It is said that 10 minutes in the sun could be enough to maintain healthy levels.
There are also dietary sources excellent for getting more of this vitamin. These include fish, egg and milk. Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) is synthesized by plants, while D3 (cholecalciferol) is made in human skin when exposed to sun. Both of these types of vitamin D can be found in food and supplements.

Overdosing (hypervitaminosis D)

Recommended dosage (US) for people less than 70 years is 600IU(International units) each day. People above 70 years are recommended to up the dosage to 800IU. Vitamin D is potentially toxic and there are risks of overdosing when supplementing. Symptoms of this are usually nausea, vomiting and reduced appetite.

There are numerous of benefits with vitamin D, and in most cases supplementing is beneficial. Hypervitaminosis D is rare, but the chances increase with certain medical conditions. Consult with your doctor if you believe you have overdosed.