Jenny Craig Diet

The following article presents the very latest information on Jenny Craig Diet. If you have a particular interest in Jenny Craig Diet, then this informative article is required reading. See how much you can learn about Jenny Craig Diet when you take a little time to read a well-researched article? Don't miss out on the rest of this great information. Kirstie Alley made headlines when she lost 50 pounds following the Jenny Craig weight program. As a result, Alley has become an outspoken advocate of this nutrition system. While Alley’s weight loss may be surprising, you may be wondering whether you could duplicate her success. But, to begin with, you need to have an understanding of Jenny Craig, the company’s claims, and whether the weight loss program is a sure-fire way to lose weight. The company website notes that Jenny Craig is one of the biggest weight loss programs in the country. Company managers say that the program stresses good nutrition and moderate activity. As a result, company executives say, individuals can achieve their weight loss goals by carefully following the program. Jenny Craig has more than 600 locations in North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Puerto Rico. If you enroll in the program, you will receive a weight loss instruction book and you’ll be able to locate a weight loss partner through an online bulletin board. The program offers two general approaches to weight loss. With the first approach, you report to a Jenny Craig Center, where you’ll receive individual consultations. The consultant will work with you to develop daily menus. You buy the diet food directly from the company. The second approach is an at-home program in which you have phone conversations with your consultant. You order your food every two weeks, with menus and other materials delivered to your home, within five to seven days after your order has been placed. Your consultant will take you through the program, answer any questions you may have, and attempt to ensure that your experience with Jenny Craig is a positive one. Calorie counts on Jenny Craig depend on your individual requirements, but the daily calorie level will be at least 1200. Under the program, you should lose at least a pound a week or one percent of your total weight. The menus are designed according to the specifications of the Department of Agriculture’s Food Pyramid. You can select from at least 70 different foods. The food has received the seal of approval from Jenny Craig’s Medical Advisory Panel. In her autobiography, entitled The Jenny Craig Story, Craig wrote, “When somebody makes a decision to go on a diet…they become almost totally preoccupied with food. We decided that if we provided the food, it would let the clients focus on their own bodies.” According to dieticians at Northwestern University, the Jenny Craig system does have its drawbacks. For instance, it offers little in the way of fiber, and those who follow the program may not consume enough iron and zinc. Consequently, the program may be difficult for women of child-bearing age who need a great deal of iron in their diet in order to prevent anemia. Also, since Jenny Craig supplies the food, clients do not learn how to prepare their own low-calorie meals. As a result, once you stop using Jenny Craig, you could find your weight skyrocketing upward. Moreover, Northwestern dieticians say that the company’s counselors have limited training, meaning that the individual consultations with clients are less effective than they could be. In addition, there’s little in the way of a support network for Jenny Craig clients, since there are no regular support group meetings. Because nine out of every ten Jenny Craig customers are women, men may not be comfortable taking part. Jenny Craig’s weight maintenance program is also expensive--$200 a year. Is the Jenny Craig program appropriate for you? The answer depends largely on your personal preferences. If you do not want the hassle of having to shop for your own low-fat food, Jenny Craig offers an attractive option. Also, if you believe in a go-it-alone approach to weight loss, Jenny Craig may be perfectly acceptable. However, if you want professional weight loss advice, you do not like the idea of buying company food, and you want to meet and talk with other men or women who are trying to lose weight, another program might be more appropriate. As always, talk at length with your doctor before beginning any serious weight loss program. Is there really any information about Jenny Craig Diet that is nonessential? We all see things from different angles, so something relatively insignificant to one may be crucial to another.

Dark berries like blueberries and cranberries are increasingly recognized in the public as health icons. Not only nutritious by their contents of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, protein and dietary fiber, berries are also synonymous with antioxidant health benefits.Antioxidants are an important nutrient category thought to be the major health characteristic of colorful fruits and vegetables. Antioxidants are substances synthesized in our bodies or obtained via edible plant chemicals that can prevent or slow oxidative stress to our body’s cells. More than 60 diseases, including cancer, diabetes, inflammatory, neurological and cardiovascular diseases, are linked to oxidative stress that may be relieved by dietary antioxidants.Scientists believe that plants make antioxidant chemicals to protect the plant’s regenerative capacity from the damaging effects of constant exposure to sunlight, ultraviolet radiation, infections, pests, injury and oxygen radicals produced during photosynthesis. These antioxidants are found in their highest concentrations in the fruit skin (or rind) and seeds.Antioxidant phytochemicals, such as the blueberry anthocyanins, contribute scent and blue pigment to the berry skin. This plays a useful regenerative role to attract insect pollinators and birds that eat the fruit and then disperse the seeds in their droppings.Plants also benefit from antioxidant protection in their skin against ultraviolet radiation, photo-oxidative processes, and viral or bacterial pathogens. These are benefits that can be passed on to animals and humans who consume the berries.Oxidative Stress and “Pigment Power”Without protective antioxidants from pigments like anthocyanins in berry skin, reactive oxygen species (ROS) are created during normal photosynthesis leading to oxidative injury. These injuries affect proteins, lipids and nucleic acids, and can cause alteration in gene transcription and even lead to programmed cell death (a process scientists call “apoptosis”, eh-poh-toe-sis) in the fruit or its seeds. Some botanists and food chemists refer to this protective benefit as “pigment power”, which is desirable to obtain through the human diet. We acquire this transfer of protection by eating fruits, vegetables and animal sources that have color-rich pigments. Dark berries are an excellent source of these pigments.Within colorful berries we can find many members of the pigment group called “phenolics.” Each member provides antioxidants, color, scent, and flavor qualities. The following is just a sampling of the thousands of edible plant phenolics. Any one berry species may contain dozens of antioxidant pigments. Each of the berries below is a rich source of anthocyanin pigments; a few of which are listed where medical and food science have revealed preliminary evidence for health benefits.Here is a list of the antioxidants found in the following berries:o Blackberries: gallic acido Black raspberries: ferulic acido Blueberries: anthocyanins, chlorogenic acid, peonidinso Cranberries: proanthocyanidins, catechins, quercetino Elderberries: myricetino Red raspberries : ellagitannins, procyanidinso Red grapes: resveratrol, proanthocyanidins (seeds), catechinso Strawberries: ellagic acidROS – Radical Oxygen SpeciesWhen human cells use oxygen, they naturally produce ROS as by-products of normal metabolism. This can lead to cell damage if normal counter-balances are absent in the environment inside and around cells. ROS are also called “oxygen free radicals” or elements so reactive they are “free” to interact with numerous cells and chemicals in the body, often in a way that is damaging.Antioxidants synthesized internally or introduced from our diets act as neutralizing sponges or "scavengers" of ROS. By donating electrons sought by the free radical, antioxidant molecules serve to counterbalance, absorb, quench, prevent or repair damage done by ROS.However, when balancing mechanisms are ineffective, perhaps because of a diet poor in antioxidant foods or during the decline of body functions with disease or aging, ROS disperse randomly in a concentration gradient from their point of formation. There, if unchecked by antioxidants, they can cause damage within cells and to nearby cells, that can contribute to disease and aging. This is one of the leading theories for how Alzheimer’s disease progressively destroys neurons.Oxidative Stress and Dietary “Therapy”Most diseases are initiated and perpetuated to some degree by ROS and by insufficient amounts of internal and dietary antioxidants. These are the underlying conditions for “oxidative stress” which may explain a sizable component of aging.If chronic, oxidative stress can lead to an increased risk of developing the following diseases:• Cancer• Cardiovascular and inflammatory disorders• Diabetes• Neuronal degeneration (e.g., Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease)• Macular degeneration causing vision loss and general deterioration of aging• Chronic sicknessMeasuring Antioxidant Strength: ORACThe term ORAC, standing for “oxygen radical absorbance capacity”, is a numerical way of representing antioxidant strength in berries and other foods. When antioxidants are present in a food, their collective strength can be measured in the test tube assay called ORAC.Recently, scientists working with the US Department of Agriculture published a database of ORAC values.Dark berries, especially wild and cultivated blueberries, blackberries and cranberries, stood out with the highest ORAC values among some 25 fruits tested. Their values were in a range of about 7,000-13,000 ORAC units per Cup or 250 ml serving.Preliminary North American guidelines recommend at least 5,000 ORAC units per day for the adult diet. Doubling that number would not only be safe for antioxidant reserves, but would also provide antioxidant qualities that would supply numerous essential macro- and micronutrients. Most importantly though, it would make for enjoyable eating!The ORAC test will likely gain public acceptance as a standard measure allowing comparisons of freshness and antioxidant strength in different foods. This standard will facilitate selection of high ORAC foods and relate antioxidant capacity to potential protection of health. For example, there is already scientific evidence for an inverse correlation between dietary intake of antioxidant foods and incidence of some cancers (US National Cancer Institute).Antioxidant BerriesWild Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium).Wild lowbush blueberries have nearly 50% greater antioxidant strength than their cultivated cousins – the highbush blueberry – that is so popular in grocery stores. Wild blueberries score highest in ORAC among common (but not all) berries, having about 13,000 ORAC units per Cup or 250 ml. Over the past 10 years, the focus of food scientists on health properties of wild blueberries has revealed a compelling story of nutrient richness and diversity of potential health benefits, including:• Urinary tract health (identical in strength to cranberries)• Inhibition of cancer development• Cardiovascular protection• Mental alertness• Vision supportBlackberry (Rubus ursinus)The juicy delicious dark blackberry has great taste and nutrient richness. Confirming the idea that the darkest berries correlate with the strongest antioxidant activity, science has recently demonstrated that blackberries have some of the densest concentrations and widest diversity of phenolics found in the plant world. Blackberry’s ORAC is nearly 8000 units per Cup or 250 ml.Black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis)“Blackcaps” are a little-known powerhouse of antioxidant richness and outstanding taste. Isolates from black raspberries were shown in laboratory tests to specifically starve tumor cells by preventing growth of new tumor blood vessels. Overall a more powerful antioxidant berry than even the wild blueberry (ORAC > 15,000 per Cup or 250 ml), blackcaps contain a toolkit of flavors and nutrients.Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon)The North American cranberry has become famous for its popular juice. Known well for its anti-adhesion properties, which inhibit bacterial infections in the urinary tract, cranberry extracts have shown anti-cancer and cardio-protective effects in laboratory studies. These results occur mainly from the cranberry’s abundant supply of antioxidant phenolics that also make it a promising agent for blood, brain and vision health.Elderberry (Sambucus nigra)Another phenolic-rich dark berry with a delectable taste, the elderberry has been associated with many of the potential health benefits already mentioned. It has stood out particularly in laboratory tests for its anti-inflammatory and urinary tract benefits. The elderberry also shows promise for anti-bacterial and anti-viral effects that may offer protection against such virulent pathogens as Salmonella, E. coli, H. pylori and Staphylococcus.Red Raspberry (Rubus idaeus)The red raspberry is well loved for its subtle distinct flavor but is also a wonderful store of antioxidant phytochemicals, particularly one called ellagic acid. One of its other constituents, a ketone, was shown in recent laboratory studies to stimulate fat metabolism, causing experimental animals to lose significant weight.Red Grape (Vitus vinifera)The red grape is valued for its familiar popular taste and diverse number of phenolics residing mainly in its skin and seeds. Especially rich in the phenolic called resveratrol, a powerful antioxidant, red grapes are linked to having a possible beneficial effect on:• Alzheimer’s disease• Heart disease• Cancer• Osteoarthritis• Other aging disordersStrawberry (Fragaria vesca)Containing a host of antioxidant phenolics, the strawberry’s constituents may be particularly important as natural blood-thinners, anti-fungal agents and inhibitors of oxidizing effects on cells from chronic stress.Other AntioxidantsOther phenolic antioxidants mentioned in current public media include:• Apigenin• P-coumarin• Kaempferol• Caffeic acid• Hydroxycinnamic acid• Tannic acid• Salicylic acid (similar to aspirin)These pigment chemicals belong to the flavonoid subclass of the phenolic super-family and are present among dark berries.Color-rich plant foods like berries offer a delicious, nutritious way of keeping dietary intake of antioxidants high. Eat color! Gain ORAC! Live Well!Reading* PubMed, US National Library of Medicine, http://pubmed.gov* Wild Blueberry Association of North America, http://www.wbana.org* Wu X et al., Lipophilic and hydrophilic antioxidant capacities of common foods in the United States. J Agric Food Chem 52:4026-37, 2004.Copyright 2006 Berry Health Inc.

Delightful Day-Trips To Take On Your Visit To Brussels

Brussels is superbly located for quick-trips to several charming cities in Belgium. The three day-trips in this article have been highlighted because of their proximity to Europes capital.AntwerpA little over half an hour by train from the very heart of Brussels is the busy city of Antwerp. If you have a longer stay in Brussels, you’ll want to experience a day here to enjoy it’s interesting fashion shops and nice mix of good value restaurants. If you fancy a stay overnight then the abundance of good, clean hotels will be a welcome sight – particularly as they charge significantly less than you’ll pay in Brussels. You can book a hotel from the tourist office in the town centre of Grote Markt.The equivalent of Grand Place for Antwerp is it’s pleasant Grote Markt square. Here are some of the must-see sights in Antwerp if you’re only about for a short stay:- After checking out Grote Markt amble over to the Onze Lieve Vrouwekathedraal – one of the most impressive medieval churches to be found anywhere in Belgium, Onze Lieve Vrouwekathedraal dates back to the 15th century.- Museum lovers will enjoy Maritime Museum, Rockoxhuis Museum, Momo (a museum dedicated to fashion), Plantin-Moretus Museum and Museum voor Schone Kunsten (art).- Quite similar to Brussels, there are no shortage of restaurants and cafes in Antwerp – however it is significantly cheaper to eat.BrugesBruges is slightly farther away from Brussels than Antwerp, but still conveniently placed for a day-trip. It takes about an hour to reach Bruges by train and it’s well worth the effort when you consider the beauty this well preserved medieval city has to offer. Because of this, Bruges can often be packed in peak season and it can be difficult to obtain accommodation so be sure to book a place in advance if you plan to spend the night. Being a tourist hotspot, eating out in Bruges can be somewhat more expensive than other places in Belgium, and the food tends to cater to the mass number of tourists that flood the city during peak times.Once you step into the heart of Bruges, it’s not surprising to know that it’s one of the most visited places in Belgium – there’s wonderful medieval charm here, including ancient building, narrow winding streets and a quaint network of criss-crossing canals.- Make sure you take a romantic boat ride along the cities beautiful canals. You can get a ticket for under six Euros.- Bruges has two segments to it’s centre-square – the Markt and the Burg. The latter has some of the most interesting buildings in Bruges including the Heilig Bloed Basiliek, the upper & lower chapel and the Stadhuis (town hall).- Bruges offers a choice of worthwhile museums such as Groeninge (displaying a fine collection of Flemish art from as early as the 14th century). The Gruuthuse Museum is another that museum lovers will enjoy – set amidst a grand medieval mansion Gruuthuse offers an exquisite collection of art & tapestry.- St Salvatorskathedraal is a gothic cathedral that dates back to the 13th century.- Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk took over two hundred years to build and this sprawling church of our lady dates back to the thirteenth century.- Two of the grandest sights in Bruges are the Stadhuis (possibly the grandest town hall in Belgium, initially built in 1376) and the Belfort (also dating back to the 13th century) which towers over the Markt in the grandest of ways. It is here that the towns charter is kept.- The Markt is one of the two central squares of Bruges city centre – an open market has been held here as long ago as the tenth century.- In case you didn’t pick up enough chocolate in Brusses don’t fret – Bruges has more than enough Belgian chocolate shops to keep your cravings satisfied.GhentGhent is severely under-rated as a tourist spot. With it’s quaint town centre comprising narrow canals, cobbled traffic-free streets & a fine castle and cathedral it’s a very alluring place to plan a day-trip to. It’s also just a half hour train ride from Brussels.Here are the must-see sights in Ghent if you happen to come for a short stay:- The fabric of Ghents town centre was built in the 13th and 14th century. Like Brussels It’s easy to navigate through Ghent thanks to a comprehensive and well run public transport system. Your first port of call should be to the impressive Stadhius (the largest town hall in Belgium) which dates back to the early 15th century. Close-by, the Belfort was built in the 14th century and offers stunning vistas over the city.- It took approximately six hudred years to complete St Baafskathedraal – Ghents most prolific and oldest Cathedral and some parts of this gothic masterpiece stretch back to the twelfth century.- Ghent has some stunning listed buildings (many of which are a thousand years old) and you can see many of them in and around the area that runs from St Michielsbrug to St Baafskathedral.- Gravensteen Castle was constructed in the eleventh century and it’s one of the most prolific landmarks of Ghent. Closeby are the Museum voor Sierkunst en Vormgeving (with various displays depicting Ghent life over the past couple of centuries) and the fish market (Vishmarkt). There are alternative museums to visit – Museum voor Schone Kunsten has a large display of art dating back to the 14th century while the Bijlolemuseum is held in a building that was first built in the 13th century.- Pop in to Vrijdagmarkt, a pleasant market & restaurant area peppered with market stalls and quaint cafes/bars.- Stroll along the river Leie for one of the most pleasant walks available anywhere in Belgium.- Ghent has a large selection of restaurants, cafes and bars and they range from pokey student type affairs to more elegant and expensive offerings. The south of the city is known for its student population so you’re more likely to find a youthful crowd here. There’s a reasonably wide selection of choices throughout the city – from traditional Belgian fare to Thai, Italian and Asian.- If you’re planning on staying the night you should be able to find a room that meets your requirements. Accommodation is typically fairly easy to secure (except for July when the town hosts Gentse Feesten). It’s possible to secure a basic room from as little as 25 euros – or if you’re able to afford something more extravagant you could kip in style for 400 euros.If your stay in Brussels extends to a week or more, you should certainly consider a day-trip to at least one of these wonderful Belgian cities.

Every good thing in our lives is a gift from God. He has given us the beautiful gift of music. As a guitar instructor for over 30 years, I have seen how music blesses people.One of my students was a Beverly Hills lawyer studying classical guitar. He told me that playing music on the guitar always took him to another place and he felt the stresses of his work disappear. Relieving stress is a benefit of playing an instrument.There are many studies proving that playing an instrument causes your brain to develop in both hemispheres. At a homeschool fair I exhibited in, one of the moms stopped by our booth to tell us how much her teenage daughter loved my worship guitar instructional program. She came back later to add that all of her daughter's grades went up and that she believes it was related to learning the guitar.There are many good reasons to learn to play an instrument, but adding real worship puts the music in a whole new and deeper category. You see, we were created to worship a Holy God. There is a depth of fulfillment in worshipping Him that secular music will never touch.When we worship Him we fulfill Hebrews 11:6. This is the scripture that says without faith it is impossible to please God and that He rewards those who believe He exists and earnestly seek Him.What are those rewards? There are too many to list here, but a big one, and the third benefit in this article, is peace. We have peace with God and can experience peace regardless of what is happening around us.One morning, while I was worshipping, the phone rang. It was an obscene phone call but because I was in God's presence and peace, instead of reacting negatively I told the caller, in love, that what he was saying was sin.I told him that Jesus died on the cross for his sins and if he gave his life to Christ that he would be forgiven and that God could meet all of his needs.Well, he hung up on me, and I noticed that I did not feel slimmed or disgusted with the call. Instead, I prayed for him for a while.The fourth benefit of developing a daily time of worship is that it's easier to hear from God. When we practice being in His presence through prayer, worship and meditating on His Word, we recognize His ways and desires for our lives.What is the result of aligning yourself to God? Joy. Joy is not the same word as happy. Jesus endured the cross because of the joy set before Him. He knew that dying for our sins would be painful and horrible, but necessary to redeem us back into a relationship with a Holy God.We can experience that joy in the trials of our lives. In the book of James, we are told to count it all joy when we face trials of all kinds. Consistently worshipping puts our hearts in alignment with our Creator and He gives us the strength to endure all things with His peace and joy.The next benefit I thought about was the fact that we can please God! Again, in Hebrews 11:6 it says that without faith it is impossible to please God. Hence, with faith we do please God.When I give a special gift that I know someone wants it is so exciting. Many years ago, my voice teacher mentioned that she and her husband wanted a Troy-Bilt rototiller but that it was too expensive. I approached one of the leaders of a group she was involved with and 30 of us paid for the rototiller. I couldn't wait to see the expression on her face when she saw their present!How much more is our Father in heaven pleased when we give of ourselves by giving Him our devotion every day? Realizing his pleasure should bring a smile to our faces as we come before Him with our daily worship.The last benefit is that it is a tangible way we can say ‘Thank-you' for all the wonderful gifts God gives us. I usually end my Newsletters with the words ‘Worship Him with all your heart because He loves you with all of His.' God Bless.

Diet Fitness

Diet Fitness is the only way to go if you want to lose weight and you want your body to be healthier. Too many people need to lose weight and get fit, but don’t make time in their life for it. Instead, they try fad diets and miracle pills that claim to take off the weight without any effort. The only thing these people are losing is their money. The truth is dieting and getting fit require dedication, changes to your current routine, and getting more exercise. To lose weight, you need to use up more calories each day than you consume. If you consume more than you use then the extra calories are stored as fat. The most effective way to lose weight and get fit is to reduce the amount of calories you consume and to increase the amount of physical activity you engage in daily. Diet fitness involves a combination of the two will help you drop the pounds, get fit, feel better physically and mentally, and reduce your chances of heart related health issues.People often view a diet as starvation and set themselves up to fail from the very beginning. Diet fitness is about giving your body what it needs without feeling deprived. If you consume large amounts of sugary foods including junk food and soda, then a great deal of your daily calories are empty calories that give you nothing. Replace that soda with water or sugar free tea. Replace that bag of potato chips with pretzels. Instead of grabbing a chocolate bar grab and apple. Diet fitness means you get to eat, you just need to make some drastic changes to your eating habits.Diet fitness isn’t easy. It if was, everyone would be doing it. The first few weeks are the hardest. As you start to feel better because of the foods you are consuming and the exercise you are getting, you will become very excited and motivated to continue doing it. Most people don’t get to that point because they have very little willpower. I am telling you now your body will start going through withdrawals for those unhealthy foods because it has been programmed to get them for so long. Diet fitness can happen if you are dedicated to succeeding. It doesn’t mean you can’t ever have a slice of chocolate cake again or some ice cream. It just means you can’t have them every day and that you need to eat better and get more physical activity in your life. Completely removing such favorite foods from your life will lead your diet fitness plan into failure. To feel better, live longer, and look your best, diet fitness needs to be implemented into your lifestyle. While these changes may seem drastic at first they will become routine over time. Make sure you plan a menu and stick to it. Plan an exercise routine as well and stick to it. You will see results and be glad you did it. A diet fitness plan is the best give you can give yourself.

A caterer is an important aspect of any wedding. You want the food to be properly prepared so that your guests will leave satisfied. If the food served at your wedding is top-notch, guests will not be able to stop talking about it.Chances are, food will be a considerable part of your wedding budget. Therefore, you will want to make sure that you get your moneys worth. If a reception hall specializes in hosting weddings, often times they will have a cook on staff who will handle the necessary details for you. However, if they don't, then it will be up to you to find a caterer. Whichever route you go, there are some general questions that you should ask. One of the first questions you will need to ask is what is the cost per head? Also, be sure to ask if there are any discounts available for children. You will need to know if gratuity is included in the cost you were quoted or will that be an additional charge. You will need to know how many entrée selections are available to choose from. Typically, you are allowed a beef, fish, and chicken dish. If you want alcohol at your reception, you need to know if they have a liquor license. If not, you will be required to get your own. Also be sure to ask if the reception hall supplies the glasses, silverware and linens that will be needed. Buffet style is a great alternative to a sit down dinner. Often times, it is considerably cheaper. It also allows your guests to choose what they want to eat. If you decide to go with a sit down dinner, the evening will more than likely start off with a cocktail hour. This will give the guest the opportunity to mingle while fruit, fried calamari, assorted cheeses and hor'deurves are served. After the cocktail hour comes to an end, guests will make their way to their seats, so that the bride and groom can make the grand entrance. Afterwards, the first dances will take place, followed by the best man (and possibly the maid of honor) toasts. After the toast is made, soup and/or salad are served. Afterwards, Intermezzo, or a serving of sorbet, will be served, to prepare the guests for the main course. Following the main course, the wedding cake is cut and served with coffee. Some couples may choose to have a Venetian Hour. A Venetian Hour is a line of desserts that include various pastries, cakes and fresh fruit. Dinner is an important part of any wedding reception. It is important to sit down and plan out a budget before committing to the food. Make sure to keep in mind the style and mood of the wedding when planning your wedding food

essential mineral for life. It is found in the red blood cells of the body and is also needed to produce red blood cells. Most of the iron in the body is attached to the haemoglobin molecules in red blood cells, thereby transporting oxygen to all the tissues of the body. Haemoglobin is the essential protein found in red blood cells and represents about two thirds of the body's iron. When red blood cells die, the iron in them is recycled in the bone marrow to be used again in new red blood cells. Myoglobin is the heme-containing protein that is involved in the transport and storage of oxygen. Purpose of Iron –# Iron is found in the haemoglobin, a protein inside red blood cells that helps transport oxygen out of the lungs, so that it can be carried to the body parts that require it. Therefore, its main role is to carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.# Iron assists with the metabolisation process and it is crucial for the body to regulate temperature. # Iron is part of myoglobin, which helps muscle cells store oxygen. Without enough iron, ATP (adenosine triphosphate - the fuel the body runs on) cannot be properly synthesized. # Iron prevents fatigue and promotes good skin tone.# It increases resistance to stress and disease.Deficiency of iron –If the quantity of iron in the body become below normal levels, iron-deficiency anaemia can occur. This is characterized by weakness, tiredness, muscle fatigue, and shortness of breath. In severe cases, a person's skin may become pale due to a lack of red blood cells in the body. In children, iron deficiency is usually the result of an inadequate iron intake. In adults, iron deficiency is most commonly due to chronic blood loss, such as during heavy menstruation in women, intestinal bleeding from peptic ulcers, cancer, or hemorrhoids. Individuals with renal failure, especially those being treated with dialysis, are at high risk of developing iron deficiency anaemia. Vitamin A helps mobilize iron from its storage sites, so a deficiency of vitamin A restricts the body's ability to use stored iron. Signs of iron deficiency anaemia –# Feeling tired and weak # Difficulty maintaining body temperature # Insomnia# Decreased immune function, which increases susceptibility to infection # Glossitis (an inflamed and sore tongue)# Eating substances such as dirt, (referred to as pica or geophagia)Who all need extra iron supplements to prevent a deficiency?# individuals who tend to lose more iron, such as pre-menopausal women# people who do not absorb iron normally # pregnant women # people who take aspirin# pre-mature and low birth weight infants # teenage girls # women of childbearing age, especially those with heavy menstrual bleeding # people with renal failure, especially those undergoing routine dialysis # people with gastrointestinal disorders, who do not absorb iron normallyRecommended Daily Allowance –The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for iron in healthy adults is 10 milligrams per day for men and 15 milligrams per day for premenopausal women. Premenopausal women's needs are higher than men's needs because women lose lots of iron during menstruation. Pregnant women will need as much as 30 milligrams of iron per day because the unborn baby needs iron for development. One interesting fact about iron is that it has the ability to regulate how much the body absorbs. When current iron levels in the body are normal, no iron is absorbed. When level gets reduced, the body goes into iron absorption mode. Good dietary sources of iron –Food contains two types of iron - heme iron and nonheme iron. Heme iron is derived from haemoglobin, and is found in animal foods that originally contained hemoglobin, such as red meat, fish, shellfish and poultry. Iron from these sources is readily absorbed in the intestines.Iron from plant foods include lentils, dried fruits, nuts and seeds, leafy green vegetables such as spinach, whole grains, fortified cereals and breads, peas and beans is arranged in a chemical structure called non-heme iron. Other sources of dietary iron include green leafy vegetables, tofu, chickpeas, and strawberries.Heme iron is absorbed better than non-heme iron, but most dietary iron is non-heme iron. Non-heme iron is absorbed better when it is consumed along with animal protein and Vitamin C.Therefore, it is beneficial to consume citrus fruits or juices which are high in vitamin C, along with foods that contain iron.Is a high iron diet or excess iron supplement harmful?There are some instances in which a high iron diet can prove to be harmful. People suffering from hemochromatosis (a common hereditary disorder where the body is unable to adjust to the amount of iron that is absorbed and stored) need to avoid iron rich foods. This can lead to severe damage to the liver, heart, and pancreas. Chronic liver disease can also result in excessive amounts of iron being stored in the liver - thereby aggravating the damage done to the liver. The most common side effect from excess iron supplements is stomach upset including discomfort, nausea, diarrohea, constipation, and heartburn. Stools become dark green or black when iron supplements are taken orally. Do not take iron supplements alongwith antacids or calcium supplements at the same time – give a gap of atleast 1-2 hours.
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