Vitamin Information Center

Aging is a natural human process. You may live a carefree life in concerns to your appearance for about the first thirty years, and then little by little you begin to notice changes happening to your appearance. During this time anti aging products might not come to mind, but one day, they might.

Do you see your aging signs? Is your hair thinning at the top or on the sides? Do you see wrinkles on your face? What about age spots on your hands or face? Or, maybe your skin is somewhat dry, dull, and rough.

It doesn’t matter what aging sign you see, you can do something about these signs. For the hands and face there are many topical creams that can improve the roughness and the wrinkles that appear. Natural facial cream can improve your face beauty and make you look younger.

There are plenty of topical agents that can improve the appearance of your facial skin. If you have dry, dull skin, you could benefit from using a microdermabrasion product. There are many inexpensive and expensive products on the market. However, you can make a simple exfoliating product with ingredients you have in your kitchen pantry.

New topical creams are created everyday. It is important that you research eye creams that have proven effective; otherwise, you may just be wasting your time and money. Look for creams that contain more natural ingredients. These types of creams provide nutrients that help the skin stay moist and elastic. Use exfoliating creams to remove dead skin and rejuvenate your appearance. After removing dead skin, make sure you protect your new skin with natural moisturizers, and when you go out in the sun, use a sun block of 40 or more. Minimize exposing your skin to the sun.

Omega-3 and omega-6, which you find in olive oil and fish oil, can make your skin look more radiant and smoother. You are probably deficient in omega-3 because most people are. Therefore, eat fish once a week and take 1000 mg of fish oil everyday.

Here’s how to use Omega-3. You should always use it with omega-6. Use around 2-3 parts more Omega-6 to Omega-3. You can buy capsules that have both essential oils. When you prepare your salad put two - three tablespoons of Omega-6, olive oil, to one tablespoon of flax seed oil, Omega-3. When you take fish oil capsules use 1000 mg per day.

Is your hair turning gray naturally or prematurely? For premature graying, you can take PABA a B-vitamin. But, use a B-complex like B-100 because the B vitamins need to be taken together. Use them with a meal. For natural gray hair, if you want to dye it, use a natural dye, like ANTIC HERBAVITA. It very easy to use.

Most skin is sensitive to un-natural products. Whatever you put on your skin, it will penetrate it and get into your blood. This is one way you get toxins in your body that will promote aging. When you look for skin or hair products always buy a natural product, if you want to look more youthful.

An effective anti aging product is MSM, methyl sulphonyl methane. MSM is considered a youth formula because it keeps all your body cells flexible and permeable. It prevents cells, skin, and tissue from become rough and hard. Look for it in creams. Also, take 2000 mg of MSM daily.

Being aware of anti aging products and techniques for looking and staying young not only helps you look better, but helps your internal health. If you take care of your health by eating well and living right, your will look young for a long time.

What Are You Feeding Your Brain?

Yes I know we all think - all the time - at least I hope so. This is to say that our brains are engaged in some mental activity or other 24/7.

Even when you are in deep meditation and supposedly ‘blanking your mind’, your brain is still active. And of course some people are more efficient about how they think, what they think and the outcome of their thinking. Others, oh well, I shudder to say they just ramble; they have no clarity of thought. What sets good thinkers from their less fortunate brethren? Believe me it has nothing to do with luck or witchcraft. Genes may play a role, but the bottom line is good nutrition from birth - even before we’re born - to now.

The question is, are you feeding brain optimum nutrition for optimum output? Or are you just mindlessly shoving down empty and dangerous junk. The equation is very simple; garbage in garbage out. When you eat better, you feel better, perform better, and generally, have a positive attitude to life. You become Mr. or Ms. Sunshine! In short, eating well makes you a more efficient, happy individual who is less gloomy, angry, and lives life to the full. Know anyone like that? Great and I am sure you want to belong to that A list.

So does food really matter to brain power? Yes it does and in a big way. The old cliche that ‘we are what we eat’ is so true and will remain true for the rest of eternity. Generally, all nutrients are important for the brain, but scientists agree that the most crucial include vitamins A, D, E, B1, B2, B3, niacin, folate, vitamin B12, iron, calcium, and the long chain fatty acids found in olive oil, fish, and nuts. See good fats are the key for brain power as I have already previously mentioned.

These nutrients are responsible for the synthesis of neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are chemicals that send messages to and across the nerve endings of the brain and the rest of our body. Therefore, the logic is fairly simple; no nutrition, no neurotransmitter, and therefore, NO brain function. Is it any wonder that when you are hungry or under a lot of stress and cannot eat probably, your brain shuts down and you experience that ever irritating mental block? Next time this happens to you just reach for a handful of nuts and a fruit or two. You will be up and running in no time. If for any reason daily requirements of these important nutrients cannot be met through a regular diet, it’s advisable to take a quality supplement to safeguard against nutritional deficiencies, especially for a pregnant woman. Please always ask a nutritionist, dietician or pharmacist on which supplements are best. The rule of thumb, however, is to aim for more organic ones that are easily absorbed and are bio-available. Also remember that since brain development begins in the womb, expecting women should eat well. For small babies and children, breastmilk is an excellent source, otherwise a fortified food is recommended.
A simple guideline for attaining these brain nutrients is to eat a balanced diet with a wide variety of foods. But importantly, if you aim for vegetables, fruits, nuts, and dairy products you can be sure that you are covered and your brain will be on target.

Antioxidants are another important set of nutrients to boost you. Antioxidants are a group of substances that protect tissues, cells, and important compounds such as proteins and the DNA (the imprint that defines who you are and what you do basically), against the destructive power of oxygen and its relatives. Berries such as strawberry, blueberry, cranberry, mulberry, and blackberry contain some powerful antioxidants. These include vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene (the red, yellow and/or red substances that give carrots, peppers, tomatoes, mangoes, pumpkin and berries etc. their revered colours), as well as selenium and manganese.

Other antioxidants under much scientific study include Coenzyme Q10, flavonoids, phenols, polyphenols and glutathione. You need these for your brain too.
Next time your boss, wife, husband, friend or teenager is grouchy and flies off the handle for no apparent reason, stay calm; take in a deep breath, remain wise, and gently provide your piece of good advice pointing them in the optimum nutrition path.
Better still, always keep some fruit, nuts, berries and some yoghurt handy and offer them. Save a mood, save a life, and preserve good relations, send nutrition to the rescue for brain power! Cheers.