A Brief Overview Of The History Of Multivitamin

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The first commercially produced multivitamin was introduced in 1934. It was a nutritional supplement that contained more than the usual vitamins A and D. The product was made from dried and concentrated natural vegetables and fruits. Since then, the development of nutritional vitamins and minerals accelerated and became more widespread.

The history of modern multivitamin and mineral supplements is very recent. However, investigations on the health benefits of foods and their effect on the human body can be traced back since the ancient Sumerian civilization.

The Early Appreciation of Good Nutrition

Ancient civilizations already knew that foods could play a big role in maintaining good health. Shamans, medicine men, and scholars believed that certain foods have medicinal properties and eating them regularly could treat illnesses.

The ancient Sumerians were the first to avidly study the nutritional and medicinal values of foods, specifically exotic herbs, roots, plants and vegetables, and fruits. Unfortunately, there was scant record of these studies because most of them were destroyed by calamities, wars, and other man-made disasters.

The concept of multivitamin however was not known during the ancient period. They simply observed that certain food factors could make a person healthier. More in-depth investigations on food factors and the nutritional and medicinal properties of foods were continued by the ancient Greeks and Romans. In the Far East, the Chinese and Indian medicine men were already starting to systematize the rich knowledge base for nutrition and food-borne medicines.

The Modern Period and Popularization of Multivitamin

The knowledge base about food nutrition and food factor started by the ancients was further systematized in the early modern period. As technology advanced, experts were able to isolate substances that can be found in foods. As early as 17th century, it was believed that a certain food factor in citrus helped greatly in the treatment of scurvy.

By the 19th and 20th century, almost all vitamins were isolated and identified. This paved the way for the development of multivitamin and multi-mineral concentrates. These concentrated formulations were designed primarily to answer the growing micronutrient needs of the people.

Functions of Multivitamin

Everyone knows that vitamins and minerals are essential for the proper growth and development of the body. Unfortunately for some people, their diet may not contain sufficient micronutrients to support the needs of their bodies.

In such cases, they may have to take multivitamin in order to avoid a deficiency. There are also people who have special vitamin requirement. For example, pregnant women should consume more folate, calcium and iron to support the fetus.

People who live in countries that receive less sunlight could also benefit a lot from multivitamin. Lack of sun exposure may cause vitamin D deficiency and could adversely affect the bodys calcium and phosphorous balance. By taking additional vitamins and minerals, such deficiency could be avoided.

Multivitamin and multi-minerals have been developed very recently. However, the benefits of nutrition, food factors, and the beneficial impact of nutrients to the body have been studied by scholars and medicine men since the ancient period.

Ten common Nutrition Mistakes

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There are some very simple nutrition mistakes, that can be corrected for free, that would take care of a lot of people’s diet difficulties. Yet millions of dollars are spent every year in helping people supposedly eat their way to health, through hundreds of various diets and allegedly new health trends. The number one enemy for losing that extra weight is sugar. “You have to be careful of the word `nonfat,’ because that usually implies more sugar,” says Larry Krug, chief executive officer of the online nutritional-consulting firm Eatwize.com. In the majority of instances ‘fat-free’ simply means the product is full of calories, because of the added sugar. Consuming lots of fruit juice is not the answer either. Laura J. Kruskall, Ph.D., R.D., an assistant professor of nutrition at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas says “People assume that juice is healthier than cola, so they’ll go ahead and drink a heap of it. Yet your average half a cup of juice equals about 60 calories”.When orange juice is consumed it converts directly to sugar Many people eat whole grain products in the wrong assumption that they are ‘eating healthy’. In fact whole grain pasta, whole wheat bread, health cereals and whole grain crackers all convert to sugar when they are consumed. The number two enemy in the battle of of the bulge is consuming processed foods. They contain loads of sugar and a wide variety of harmful chemicals, which prevent the liver from working to optimum. Conola oil, vegetable butter, fake margarine, hydrogenated oils, substitute butter, artificial sweeteners, as well as processed soy products, all assist in the retention of bad fat. Real butter, coconut oil, whole eggs, avocados, bacon, raw nuts and olive oil are all aids when it comes to burning up bad fat. Carbohydrates are vital to good health, so consuming plenty of fruit and vegetables will assist in regulating the blood sugar level and help burn up unwanted fat. Going without food is another wrong conception when it comes to losing weight. Starving the body only causes it to store what fat it already has. In order to keep blood sugar and insulin levels even, it is better to eat healthy food, small and often. Correct hydration is another important key to losing weight. This entails drinking non-caffeinated fluids before they are required, as the body often fails to sense its own thirst, until after the fact. Drinking plenty of liquids burns fat and notifies your body to lose that layer of muscle-camouflaging water it likes to hold between your skin and muscles. Susan Kundrat, M.S., R.D., of Nutrition on the Move says. “I recommend a minimum of 12 eight-ounce glasses of noncaffeinated fluids per day, plus an additional six ounces for every 15 minutes of training you engage in.” Several authorities claim that once you start to eat healthily, you will throw your body onto auto-pilot, so that it will continuously discard that unwanted fat. Dr Wendy Stenberg-Tendys and her husband are CEO’s and founders of YouMe Support Foundation, providing high school education grants for children who are without hope. You can help in this really great project by taking a few minutes to check out the Sponsor a Student program at (http://youmesupport.org). It will change the life of some really needy kids in the South Pacific. Feel free to contact Wendy on

Malnutrition And Starvation In Africa How You Can Help Without Breaking The Bank

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We all know how the cost of living can often seem to be unmanageable, forcing us to use most of our available resources for the simple necessities of survival such as energy (gas, petrol or diesel and electricity), housing and nutrition, leaving very little left over for savings or luxuries.

But what about those in Africa and beyond? Those who are forced to survive without the even the bare basics? Malnutrition can lead to terrible deficiencies such as anaemia, beriberi, scurvy, rickets and kwashiorkor, as well as devastating and lifelong effects in children and babies.

The Great Divide

Many people are struggling to maintain their quality of life these days as global food prices skyrocket. The recent oil crisis influences both the production and transportation of food and is just one element that trickles down into our grocery bills.

While the price of daily sustenance increases, many producers are experiencing a sharp rise in production costs. Food producers, especially in first world countries, are looking to specialised products and progressive methods to supply a smaller number of consumers who are able to pay more for gourmet produce.
This divide between the needs of the destitute, and decisions of the wealthy, comes at a cost. Organic coffee, for example, costs less than regular coffee bean farming, but the yields are smaller thus allowing producers to charge more for less.

Supplying the Necessities

Soup kitchens, community bakeries and other feeding schemes dont just aim to feed mouths, but rather nourish multitudes within ludicrous financial constraints.

How is this possible? Peanut butter on brown bread with a glass of milk is a tried and tested meal used in schools, refugee camps and emergencies to supply the basics of nutrition without breaking the bank. Here a breakdown of a basic nutritional meal:

Milk: As we all know, milk is one of our main sources of calcium, which is essential for the healthy structure of bones and teeth especially in developing bodies. Packed with nutrients, essential amino acids and vitamins; a glass of milk is said to contain over a third of our daily vitamin intake, and is also good for lining an empty stomach to prevent gastric acids from eating away at the lining and causing ulcers.

Whole Wheat Brown Bread: Brown bread is much less processed than white bread, contains fewer calories and is high in fibre and nutrients essential to healthy living (including Vitamin B and E, Iron and Zinc).

Peanut Butter: Like most legume products, peanut butter is incredibly nourishing. The household favourite of millions around the world, peanut butter is extremely high in protein and fibre as well as mono and polyunsaturated fats – wash it down with a glass of milk and youre well on your way to a healthy, cheap meal.

Soup Kitchens, Bakeries and Feeding Schemes

Given the resourcefulness, ingenuity and community spirit of the people of Africa, there are many who are making great strides in creating sustainable food production and distribution points like mobile soup kitchens and bakeries made from prefabricated structures and old containers such as shipping containers. Although these projects are doing a wonderful job of making an impact into malnutrition and starvation in Africa, they simply arent self-sufficient at this point. From teaching about good nutrition to buying or growing ingredients, these facilities and projects rely on donations and fundraising to feed those in need.

How Can You Level The Playing Field?

You dont need to donate a kidney, give up delicacies or live on morsels to help alleviate starvation in Africa and facilitate sustainability. Consumer consciousness coupled with a social spirit is more than enough to assist in saving the day.

There are many online charities devoted to collecting money from those who have resources to spare in order to help those who do not have anything to begin with. Many of these charities focus on nutrition and with guarantees that your donation will reach those in need, all you need to do is click the mouse and know that you are making a difference.

By being aware of what foods and brands you buy, as well as the subtleties between nutritional value and value-for-money, you can save a small fortune without having to give up the luxuries youve earned for yourself and have that small amount to spare each month to help the people of Africa.

A small sacrifice could be the difference between life and death in Africa.

Cycling Nutrition You Need To Make The Most Of Your Training

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Cycling Fitness training will only be effective if you supply your body with the right kind of cycling nutrition. It is important to eat healthy meals, but there is a whole world of nutrition products that can make a big difference, if chosen carefully.

Before starting a long cycle training session, or road ride, you need to build up a good reserve of complex carbohydrates, which have the benefit of being metabolised slowly. As a result your energy reserves will stay at a safe level throughout the ride. Now these carbs can come from regular foodstuffs like potatoes and pasta, but there are some sophisticated complex carb powders and supplements available.

As the calories are used up during the ride, they need to be replaced quickly and in good time, so carrying a stock of energy gels and bars, and electrolyte energy drinks, is vital for even energy levels all the way to the end.
Calories and Carbs that are burnt off can be quickly replaced by good quality Energy Bars. Energy Gels are a more fast acting, and effective, approach to energy replacement, and are a staple of professional cyclists. It is important to realise, however, that these carbohydrate gels dont work unless accompanied by a lot of extra water so for a 1.4 oz gel you need to take in an extra 500ml of water for the carbs to be absorbed as intended.

A great deal of liquid is used up in a strenuous ride, so hydration is a key area that cant be neglected. Plain water is an important and under-appreciated drink that clearly has many benefits. But this isnt enough to keep up all levels, so it should be partnered with electrolyte drinks. These isotonic drinks can come in the familiar form of the famous brand name bottles, or a self-mixed powdered drink tuned to your particular needs. Just keep replacing liquids throughout the session, to save running out of reserves at the wrong moment.

And after the session is over, it doesnt help if you dont make adequate provision for recovery. So, once refreshed, you need to take in plenty of complex carbohydrates to boost your glycogen levels. Again get this from pasta and the like, or your complex carb powder mix. If it was a particularly strenuous ride, a boost of protein is needed to rebuild and recover muscles. Natural foods or protein mix drinks can do this job for you, with some help from protein bars.

Faced with these ever present concerns, it is important to come up with a well-designed cycling training program, with help from a qualified coach. If you cant access people of that level, there are lots of expert programs, books and DVDs on sale, to lead you on the right path. So that is quite a collection of products that you need to arm yourself with, to make a hard cycling session or ride have a great effect on your body. Neglect these areas, and you can do quite a bit of harm to yourself so it is definitely worth the effort.