 Welcome to Part 2 of What's in my Tablet Box... Meet Zinc, my main mineral!!!! This mineral is an absolute must have in your health box. It is needed in more than 100 enzymes and it is involved in more body functions than any other mineral. It’s also fairly common to be zinc deficient. This is as a result of soil losses and food processing losses. Where do we find zinc? OYSTERS! Red meat and liver. Egg yolks.  The zinc found in animal sources is better absorbed by the body than those sources in plants. It is possible to obtain adequate zinc from plant sources, though. Whole grains are rich in zinc – wheat, rye and oats. Pecan and Brazil nuts contain high amounts of zinc. And pumpkin seeds are considered helpful to the prostate gland. What is Zinc for? Zinc is required for
What does Zinc do? It is involved in many body functions. It aids the liver in detoxifying alcohol but drinking alcohol flushes zinc from the liver. So you’ll need to take extra zinc after you have indulged in those cocktails! Zinc helps the body to use and maintain levels of vitamin A. This action may help to keep healthy skin cells and make new skin cells. In one study of macular degeneration the supplementation of zinc resulted in significantly less vision loss. We all need our eyes so what a good idea to add zinc each day… It is needed in energy production. Do you feel tired and lethargic? Maybe it’s time to up your zinc… Zinc is important to the male sex organ function and reproductive fluids. It is helpful in treating infertility by improving sperm count and motility of the sperm. It helps in digestion. Zinc attaches to over 300 enzymes (structures made of protein that break down other molecules). It is needed by the body to use amino acids from the food we at. It also helps to break down carbohydrates which are a source of energy for the body. It supports immune function. Zinc helps to boost the immune system in fighting the common cold and prevents the progression of viral flu symptoms. It supports insulin activity. This is especially important for people who have diabetes. Zinc binds to insulin. Insulin is stored in the pancreas and is released when glucose enters the bloodstream. Zinc allows digestive enzymes that are needed for insulin to bind to cells so that the glucose in the bloodstream is used by the body for energy and not stored as fat cells. Zinc helps with your taste sensation. A study done with anorexic patients found that by increasing their zinc intake their appetite and taste function improved. Of course there is more to anorexia than just not eating. But by not eating their zinc levels would be low and so they would have a reduced appetite. A vicious circle.  It can speed up recovery time post op. (I’m thinking post C-section, tell your friends who are preggers). Zinc is useful in treating skin problems like acne, dermatitis, bedsores and boils. Teenage acne has been successfully treated with zinc supplementation. If only I had known this when my brother was suffering the worst of acne. He was staying in a back packers at the time and living on baked beans. Nothing wrong with baked beans just not for every meal for every day…. As we grow older the absorption of zinc is reduces as well as our intake. This is because our digestion is not as good as it is when you are younger AND you tend to eat less so there is less nutrition to be gained. When we are pregnant our need for zinc increases. This is probably because we are growing another human who requires zinc too. PMS and using birth control pills are associated with lower zinc levels. Have you ever noticed white flecks on your nails? This could be a sign of low zinc levels. Being under stress causes the body to use more zinc. Have you ever wondered why you have a white tongue? It could be a sign of low zinc levels!! It has also been found to improve behaviour and IQ in children who may be deficient in zinc. There is a product for children called Zinplex. It comes in a liquid form and tastes great. Ask my Boys!!! Both my boys take it from time to time. When I notice that J is getting a cough or post nasal drip then he'll get Zinplex for a few days. When M is teething that usually brings on a snotty nose and I give him Zinplex which seems to stop the runny nose. In two studies, extra zinc was given to Alzheimer’s patients. The improvements in cognition were dramatic. It seems that a deficiency leads to plaque forming and nerve cells being destroyed in the brain tissue. Do you know an older someone? Make sure that they are taking zinc…  How much zinc?
The RDA is 12mg. The average American consumes 10mg. We can safely assume that we also are somewhere close to that number. The result? We’re short on zinc. I use a product called Zinplex. It provides 9.5mg of elemental which means available zinc per 50mg. I take 100mg twice per day. When I’m fighting off a cold or infection then I take 150mg twice per day. A side note… Cadmium is a toxic trace mineral that COPIES Zinc. Ther is no benefit to cadmium and yet it is found in our foods!! Its toxicity is kept under control by zinc. Whole foods have a beneficial ratio of zinc to cadmium. BUT when a food is processed and refined then zinc is removed from the food and cadmium dominates. It is found in coffee, tea, shellfish, sugar, white flour and white rice. Chat soon, Lee If you know of another mom who’s looking to bring harmony & health to her life, please share this with her. She’ll appreciate it and so will I… Click here to get quick meal ideas for your kids Let’s get moving! I found this great little article in a magazine I was reading recently. Essentials. I’ve done some yoga in the past but I‘ve always found it really long. I don’t have 90 minutes to do yoga. (who does with 2 children - and one who is under 2?) So this article about the flow of the Sun Salutation really hit home for me. I have been following the pictures and now do this routine in the mornings before the rest of house wakes up. I think the article says to aim for 15 Salutations. Well I’m doing 5 right now and hope to increase that gradually to 10 over the next 2 weeks. I find that the first 2 Salutations I’m quite stiff and there are definite cracks of joints while I do each pose but by the 5th Salutation I’m flowing. Which is just what I need to do in the mornings. I have found my mornings are going a lot more smoothly. My boys are happier and J, my older one, is ready for school much earlier than in past weeks and months. Like by 6.45am where before it was 7 or even later and I was stressing!!! It just seems to be smoother. So go ahead and try these moves to help get you into the flow…. If you know of a mom or a friend who needs to bring some harmony into her life then feel free to share this with her…. She’ll be glad to receive and so will I.  Hello and welcome! I’ve just got into the office after attending my older son, J’s, graduation. He’ll be going to Grade 1 next year!!! We’re experiencing some really weird weather at the moment with snowfalls expected on the Drakensburg Mountains later today. It’s mid-November! So with unusual weather going on and the days racing by towards the Grand Finale of the year there is a need to talk about this amazing vitamin… For as long as I can remember we’ve been told that if you want to prevent or fight a cold then take Vitamin C. It’s probably the most suggested vitamin to use. And yet there is much more to what Vitamin C can do for our bodies…  C is for Citrus. Vitamin C can be found in citrus fruits. There are other sources in the fruits and vegetable families; sweet red peppers, kale, dark leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. Strawberries, guavas, papaya and persimmons are also great sources. And YAY it’s strawberry season at the moment so get some next time you’re at the market or shops.  C is also for Collagen. Vitamin C’s primary function is to make collagen. It is involved in the formation of connective tissues, tendons and cartilage. As a result it helps in the healing of wounds and burns. It helps to maintain healthy gums. Bleeding and swollen gums could be a sign of scurvy. Not likely you have scurvy in this day and age unless you are seriously depleted in vitamin C. Our blood vessels contain collagen in the walls and the walls expand and contract. The tiny blood vessels and capillaries can be fragile leading to bruising. Having sufficient collagen in the blood vessels can help to lessen this.  Vitamin C is an anti-oxidant, it helps to prevent aging of our body’s tissues. It fights bacterial and viral infections and that is why it is recommended for fighting the common cold. It is helpful in treating alcoholic liver disease. Massive amounts of vitamin C have been used in the treatment of drug addiction – heroin, methadone and barbiturates. Studies are starting to find that Vitamin C can help to lower the risk of many forms of cancer – digestive tract cancer, lung, cervical, breast and pancreatic cancers. Vitamin C has also been found to enhance immune function during the treatment of cancer. How often should you take Vitamin C? Vitamin C needs to be eaten/taken regularly throughout the day, 2 - 3 times. This is because blood levels peak at about 2 – 3 hours after being taken. Most of what is consumed is excreted within 3 – 4 hours. The body’s ability to absorb vitamin C is affected by a number of factors; Smoking, stress, high fever and petrol fumes. Vitamin C is a multifunctional nutrient because of its anti-oxidant and immune enhancing abilities... It can fight against heart disease by strengthening the blood vessel walls, raising our “good” cholesterol (HDL), reducing blood pressure and preventing blood clots by making the platelets less sticky. When you have a fever or viral infection or are taking antibiotics, cortisone, aspirin or other pain medication then your body uses more Vitamin C. Exposure to environmental toxins like petrol fumes and heavy metals like cadmium (cigarette smoke) and lead can reduce the absorption of vitamin C. So it is important to eat vitamin C supplements regularly throughout the day. The list of benefits of eating Vitamin C is long. It helps to build collagen which basically keeps us together. It supports our adrenal glands and how we handle stress and fatigue And it supports our our immune function and fighting infections.  The Recommended Daily Allowance for Vitamin C is only 60mg. Our requirements as humans varies according to a number of factors; weight, amount of activity we do, metabolism rate, ailments and age. When we are under stress and anxiety, have an injury or an operation or suffering from fatigue then our need for this vitamin increases. How much do I take? I take 1500mg twice per day. In the morning and at bed time. When I’m fighting a cold then I will double up, 3000mg, or treble up, 4500mg, twice per day. If you know of another mom who’s looking to bring harmony & health to her life, please share this email with her. She’ll appreciate it and so will I…  Chat with you soon... Lee
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