What is Organic?

By Clifford Woods

What exactly does “organic” mean?
Very simply – organic products are grown without using synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, genetically modified organisms, sewage sludge, or ionized radiation. Animals that produce poultry, meat and eggs as well as dairy products do not take any growth hormones or antibiotics serve as the organic meat and milk food sources. 

This might sound way too simple to be believed by many people, but this remains the fact; organic simply refers to the products nourished naturally, without the addition of any synthetic chemicals into them.

What Sets ‘Organic Products’ Apart? 
Organic products mean that only natural ingredients are used – nothing synthetic or artificial. The buying of organic food has become a worldwide trend, as consumers aim to spend money on products they believe that they can relate to and trust. This means to know precisely where the country of origin is, how it is processed, and what type of ingredients constitute a product. Without such information at your disposal, you better avoid buying any product labeled ‘organic’, since that might not truly be one.

Organic vs. Inorganic 
Millions of consumers flock to the farmers’ markets and grocery stores spending their dollars and faith in the assurance of organic food being healthier. But there is still a debate around the true value of “organic” and this debate has yet to reach any definitive conclusion. This returning to a “natural diet” tempers shoppers’ interests so much that they have created a worldwide organic market valued at about $48 billion in 2007 and continue to expand till date.

Which Apple to Choose 
Once only found in stores for healthy food, today organic foods are now a normal feature at the majority of supermarkets. In the product section can be found apples; one is a regularly grown apple and the other one is the organic. Both apples are shiny, firm, and red. Both offer vitamins and fiber and both are free of fat, cholesterol, and sodium. Which apple should you choose? Produce that is conventionally grown usually costs less, but is organic food really healthy, safer or more nutritious?



Organic Methods 
The word “organic” denotes to the methods that the farmers use to grow and process farming products, such as fruits, vegetables, meat, grains, and dairy products. Practices for organic farming are created to boost soil and water savings and reduce toxic waste. Farmers growing organic meat and produce do not use the normal ways to avert livestock disease, fertilize, or control weeds. Instead of using weed killer chemicals, organic farmers conduct more refined rotations of crops and spread manure and mulch to keep weeds away, adhering more to natural ways.

Labeling of Organic Items 
Products containing more than 70% organic ingredients may or can say “made with organic ingredients” on their label, but they are not allowed to use the 100% certified seal. Any foods that contain less than 70 percent of organic ingredients cannot use either the term “organic” or the 100% seal on their labels. They can though, display the items that are organic in their ingredient list. 

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Author: Clifford H Woods is the Executive Director of Vibrant Life.
We Provide Great Products, Excellent and Useful Information with Exceptional Customer Care Service

What Are Nutritional Supplements?

By Clifford H Woods 

Sometimes referred to as dietary supplements or even food supplements, nutritional supplements are substances or products that you can consume to add nutrition in your diet. These substances include nutrients beneficial to the human body and they include: vitamins, Amino acids, minerals and herbs among others. 



You can also find products, such as fish oils, glucosamine and Probiotics in these supplements. 

 There are many reasons why people use nutritional supplements and these include:

• To boost the immune system
• To improve mental and physical performance
• To support healing
• To enhance the overall health
• To reduce risks of age-related illnesses and other conditions
• To supplement inadequate nutrition

While supplements are mainly to improve one’s health, they are not treated as medicinal drugs or regulated, and this is why they are labeled as dietary supplements. They come packaged in form of pills, tablets, capsules and also come in liquid form. Taking supplements does not substitute for an unbalanced diet, however, they do come in handy when you have shortfalls and could provide your body with the nutritional support you lack from time to time. 

With that said, it is important to reiterate that they do not substitute your nutrients and you cannot compare the value you get from fresh fruits or vegetables with vitamin supplements. 

Who Should Be Taking Nutritional Supplements? 
We could all benefit from nutritional supplements. However, there are certain groups of people who definitely need these supplements more than the rest of us and these are:

• Infants
• Seniors
• Adolescents
• Expectant and breastfeeding mothers
• Strict vegetarians
• The chronically ill
• People with dire food allergies
• Alcohol and drug dependent people

The reason why these groups of people could benefit more from nutritional supplements than the rest of us is because they are more prone to nutritional deficiencies. A good example is infants and adolescents. These supplements could come in handy to support their greater need for nutrients because of their rapid growth. Women who are expectant or breastfeeding also require supplements to provide for adequate development of the child and provide health maintenance for themselves as well. 

People with dire food allergies and vegans compromise on certain nutrients due to dietary restrictions and these nutritional supplements could help them nourish their bodies from the low intakes of various nutrients. 

People who are on drugs, including those on medication, such as the chronically ill and elderly; tend to have lower absorption rates of nutrients. This could be due to changes in dietary regime or interference from drugs. 

 As you can see, nutritional supplements can help encourage a healthier body. Remember that the word supplement simply means ‘in addition to’ and this means that nutritional supplements should be taken in addition to a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. 

 It is always recommended that you follow the intake prescription and most importantly, you talk to your doctor or a nutritionist, so as to identify which supplements will be most beneficial for you. 

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Author: Clifford H Woods is the Executive Director of Vibrant Life.
We Provide Great Products, Excellent and Useful Information with Exceptional Customer Care Service

Multivitamins is Your All-in-One Answer to Good Health

Multivitamins is Your All-in-One Answer to Good Health 

By Clifford H Woods

A lot of people already know that taking vitamins and minerals is important for the improvement of one’s health. Everybody also knows that the most natural way to get these multivitamins is through vegetables, fruits, meat and other food that are rich in these supplements. 

However, there are some individuals who think that they can get all the needed health supplements just by eating foods that are healthy. They think that as long as they eat healthy, they do not need to buy and take food supplements anymore. Little did they know that even if they eat healthy in sufficient quantity all day long, the amount of minerals and vitamins that they get are still not enough.

Years before when farming plants did not involve too much chemicals and when cooking these food did not contain too many artificial products, there were indeed a lot of healthy supplements that you can acquire in these food. Today, the practices for harvesting, producing, processing and cooking food has become less healthy and nutrient dense. For instance, did you know that it would take several cups of today’s harvested spinach just to get an equal amount of nutrients that you can harvest in one cup of spinach years ago?

Today, there are numerous vitamins in tablets, capsules and liquid form that have been developed to pair with your balanced diet. These were developed to provide individuals all the required nutrients to protect them from illnesses and to strengthen their immune system. By taking your daily dose of multivitamins, you will be able to protect yourself from developing heart diseases, cancer and osteoporosis.

As you all know, there are lists of different nutrients that are known to be good for one’s health. Although taking them may not have too much side effects, lots of people are wondering what could be the difference between those kinds of supplements and multivitamins. Vitamins importance may be plenty, but there are actually greater advantages in taking multivitamins.

Multi-vitamins are capable of preventing diseases, providing you with the Recommended Daily Allowance of nutrients, capable of maintaining the efficiency of cells, supplies the other nutrients that food cannot give and activates the enzymes that are essential to cellular function. You might think that these are actually the same advantages that single tablet vitamins can give. So what could make multivitamins better than the latter?

One of the reasons is that the body cannot store some vitamins. The vitamins are categorized according to the capacity of the body to store them. For instance, vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble which means that the body will be capable of storing them. 

On the other hand, vitamins B and C complex are water-soluble which means that they cannot be stored in sufficient amounts. So with this fact, they must be taken daily. If they are not taken on a daily basis and they are not included in your daily balanced diet, you might develop illnesses. Multivitamins are capable of supplementing both of these soluble vitamins.

Multivitamins are capable of providing the needed nutrients when some vitamins are not readily accessible.  In this case, vitamin D would be the best example. Vitamin D is best acquired through sunlight and the epidermis can produce enough if it is exposed to sufficient sunlight. However, there are people who are living in places where sunlight is not always readily accessible. With this situation, it would be better to take multivitamins so as to not develop illnesses. 

Summary: The main focus of this article is to reflect the roles that multivitamins play in developing and maintaining a good health. The article describes the types of vitamins and their specific roles in preventing diseases.
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Author: Clifford H Woods is the Executive Director of Vibrant Life.
We Provide Great Products, Excellent and Useful Information with Exceptional Customer Care Service

How To Increase Vigor The Natural Way

By Clifford H Woods

Many people are expected to balance many things in life such as family, work, social events and a whole list of other obligations. That is why you may feel tired even after sleeping for 8 hours a day. There are several natural ways to increase your vigor and energy levels so that you can do more in a day.

One of the ways to do this is to be sure to eat a good, healthy breakfast every day. This is the most important meal of the day. If you eat in the morning you are guaranteed to have energy throughout the day. People who skip breakfast are likely to be less healthy. They also have a low concentration span and low energy level. To maintain a constant supply of vitamins and nutrients it is advisable to have regular afternoon snacks such as nuts and yogurt. This ensures that your energy level is maintained.

Eating a well balanced diet improves your health naturally. This ensures that your body is receiving the right level of nutrients. You should incorporate foods that have fibers in your diet. This includes grains, oats, nuts and vegetables. Foods with soluble fibers even out your level of energy by slowing down the absorption rate of sugars. And organic is always best.

Vitamin C is a very important nutrient that helps to combat fatigue. It helps to absorb other nutrients from food. Getting a daily dose of Vitamin C helps you to be more energized and healthy. It also improves your mood. Fruits are a good source of this nutrient. Nutrients deficiency is a common source of fatigue for many people.

The use of energy drinks is not advisable. This is because they will give you extreme energy and after that result in a crash. The more you depend on them the more fatigued you are likely to feel with time.

Another option is to exercise regularly. This is a natural way that encourages general well being. Keeping a healthy weight boosts your energy. You should however refrain from increasing your exercise level drastically. This can be short lived because it is very exhausting.

Waking up at the same time everyday is also recommended. It sets the clock in your body to ensure that the natural healing process begins and ends at the right time. It can be hard to set this but it is worth the effort.

Quitting smoking has also been linked with an increase in vigor. According to research people who stop this habit generally experience an energy boost of more than 200%. This is because cigarettes and other drugs affect how you sleep and they add chemicals in your body that can make you unhealthy and lethargic.

Another way to be healthy and to maintain vigor the natural way is to balance your life. This can be hard to achieve especially if you have a busy and hectic life. It is important to have a hobby as well as time to bond with your loved ones. Having a good laugh with friends gives you enough energy to live. Drop some commitments that are not really necessary; this way you will have time to relax your body and mind.

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Author: Clifford H Woods is the Executive Director of Vibrant Life. 
We Provide Great Products, Excellent and Useful Information with Exceptional Customer Care Service.

High Blood Pressure, Causes, and Natural Remedies

High Blood Pressure, Causes, and Natural Remedies

By Clifford H Woods

As your blood circulates through the body, it presses up against the walls of the arteries. This force of pressure is referred to as blood pressure. When the pressure against the arterial walls becomes too high, these walls often become narrow or thicken and this adds an extra burden of stress on the heart.

Blood pressure may in some cases temporarily rise from stress, exercise or other emotions from joy to anger. But the pressure quickly returns to normal once the stressor has passed. But in many individuals, the blood pressure is high all the time.

Approximately 50 million Americans have high blood pressure or hypertension, with almost half of those over the age of 65. This disorder can cause very other serious conditions, such as stroke, heart disease, eye damage, diabetes, and kidney problems; so hypertension is considered one of the nation’s leading health problems.

Causes: it is believed by most doctors that the root causes deride from one of these:

1. Diet high in sugar, fat and/or salt
2. Alcohol or caffeine and any other stimulates
3. Obesity
4. Smoking
5. Inactivity
6. Pregnancy or birth control pills
7. Underlying medical disorders
8. Poisoning with heavy metal

There are natural remedies that may help any high blood pressure.
These include but not limited to:

• Hawthorne (Crataegus oxycanthae): this is an herbal medicine that dilates the artery walls and will decrease blood pressure. The berry is the part of the plant that is used and can be taken as a tincture, capsule, or tea. It is considered an excellent tonic for the heart but should not be mixed with any heart medications prescribed by your physician.
• Calcium and magnesium: these are minerals that have shown with studies to lower blood pressure. It is advised to take a combination of 500 mg of calcium and 250 mg of magnesium twice daily.
• Coenzyme Q10: studies show that this nutrient also reduces blood pressure when one takes 100 mg 2 to 3 times daily.
• Fish Oil: this is great for reducing blood pressure when taken on a long-term basis – this is usually 3000 mg 3 times each day.
• Garlic: several studies confirm garlic’s ability to lower blood pressure on a 600 mg twice-daily regimen of an aged garlic extract.
• Vitamin C: this has a mild effect with lowering of the blood pressure and also helps the body to detoxify any toxic metal, such as lead, which can contribute to high blood pressure. 1000 to 2000 mg or more daily is recommended – Vitamin C is water-soluble and the body does not store it.
• Potassium: this is a mineral that has been shown in many studies and tests to lower blood pressure. Use as part of a product that is a salt-substitute. Or else, use up to 2000 mg only under the management of a physician. Do not use potassium if you are taking any diuretic that is potassium sparing or have heart disease or kidney problems that are serious.

Other natural remedies include:

• Passionflower (Passiflora incarnate) this relaxes the nerves and is helpful for blood pressure that increases due to stress. Take 0.5 ml or 250 mg no more than 3 times daily.
• Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) very strong nerve relaxer nerve much like Valium and can lower blood pressure indirectly. Take 0.5 to 1.0 ml or 300 mg up to 3 times each day.
• Oatstraw (Avena sativa) and Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)are herbs for relaxing the nerves. They can be used as a tea throughout the day.
• Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) is extract and should be taken in 500 mg doses three times each day for a blood pressure-lowering effect.
• Dandelion leaf (Taraxacium officinale) works like a very gentle, natural diuretic that lowers blood pressure. Take 300 mg of capsule form or 2 ml up to three times daily.

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Clifford H Woods is the Executive Director of Vibrant Life.
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