WHAT IS PHOSPHORUS? Phosphorus is an important macromineral that keeps your bones and teeth strong. It is the second most abundant macromineral in the human body, accounting for around 1% of an average adult's bodyweight. In this article I am going to look at phosphorus in greater detail and explain why you should ensure it is part of your diet. WHEN WAS PHOSPHORUS DISCOVERED? Phosphorus was accidentally isolated in 1669 by German alchemist Hennig Brand. He was attempting to convert metals into gold and was convinced that urine was the key to doing this. In one of his experiments … [Read more...]
Magnesium Explained
WHAT IS MAGNESIUM? Magnesium is one of the seven macrominerals that your body needs to survive. It has many roles in the body which include supporting healthy bone growth and helping your muscle tissues and nerves to function properly. In this post I am going to take an in depth look at magnesium and the importance of it to your health. WHEN WAS MAGNESIUM DISCOVERED? The history of magnesium dates back to 1618 when the town of Epsom in England was suffering from a severe drought. A local farmer named Henry Wicker noticed that his cows refused to drink from one of the town's wells, … [Read more...]
Chloride Explained
WHAT IS CHLORIDE? Chloride (formed when the element chlorine picks up an electron from a negatively charged ion) is a macromineral that your body uses to maintain a proper fluid balance and is also essential for metabolism. It represents approximately 0.15% of your total bodyweight and can be found in the fluid that surrounds your cells. In this article I will be discussing chloride in greater detail. WHEN WAS CHLORIDE DISCOVERED? Carl Whilhelm Scheele initially discovered chlorine in 1774 and named it dephlogisticated marine acid. However, in the years following the discovery some … [Read more...]
Calcium Explained
Over the last few months I have been discussing the various nutrients that are essential for good health. So far I have covered the macronutrients (carbohydrates, fats and protein) and the thirteen vitamins in detail. In my next series of posts I am going to be focussing on the micronutrients. Today I am beginning this series and looking at calcium. WHAT IS CALCIUM? Calcium is one of the seven macrominerals needed by your body. It was discovered in its isolated form in 1808 by Sir Humphry Davy. The main function of calcium is to support strong bones and teeth. WHEN WAS CALCIUM … [Read more...]
From Vitamin A to Vitamin E: 40+ Vitamin Rich Foods
In my last few posts I have been discussing vitamins in greater detail. I outlined how they were vital to your health and that without them you would suffer from a number of adverse effects. I also discussed the dangers of overdosing on vitamins and said that it was very difficult to overdose on them from food alone. Although I am not completely against the use of vitamin supplements I believe that you should try and get your vitamins from food sources where possible. Today I am going to try and help you do just that by listing over 40 vitamin rich foods. 1) VITAMIN A:- Vitamin A can be … [Read more...]
4 Factors That May Make Vitamin Supplements Necessary
In one of my recent articles I stated that I did not think multi vitamins were necessary. I also said that it was very difficult to overdose on vitamins from food alone and that overdosing is normally the result of excessive vitamin supplement consumption. After reading these articles you probably think I am completely against the consumption of vitamin supplements. However, this is not the case. Whilst I am generally against multi vitamin supplements (for the reasons discussed in my article) I do feel that other vitamin supplements are valuable tools in certain situations. In this … [Read more...]
8 Adverse Effects Of Vitamin Deficiency
Recently I outlined how getting your vitamins can be very beneficial to your health. I also discussed that you can go too far by overdosing on the various vitamins which can lead to a number of adverse effects. Today I would like to discuss the other extreme – vitamin deficiency. Just as getting too many vitamins can cause undesirable symptoms, not getting enough can also negatively impact your health. In this article I will be discussing the adverse effects of not getting enough vitamins and outlining how you can make sure you get enough of each. 1) DIFFICULTY PERFORMING ESSENTIAL … [Read more...]
3 Reasons To Avoid Overdosing on Vitamins
In my previous article I discussed the benefits of getting enough vitamins. This article highlighted the importance of vitamins for good overall health. They play a role in almost everything you can imagine from growth, to production of new cells, to wound healing, to protecting your body. However, you can get too much of a good thing. Whilst sticking to the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for each vitamin can provide you with countless benefits consuming high doses of certain vitamins can have the opposite effect causing pain, discomfort and even damage to your body's cells. In this … [Read more...]
12 Top Reasons To Get Your Vitamins
In some of my previous blog posts I discussed each of the thirteen vitamins in detail. Each vitamin is an essential nutrient that helps your body's cells perform an important function. Together they provide you with a number of significant health benefits. Today I would like to discuss this topic in greater detail and outline twelve of the top reasons for getting your vitamins. 1) HEALTHY VISION AND NIGHT VISION:- Vitamin A and B2 both promote healthy vision. Not getting enough of these vitamins can lead to problems with your sight, particularly at night time. In the worst cases it can … [Read more...]
Are Multi Vitamin Supplements Necessary?
Multi vitamins are one of the most popular health and fitness supplements around. Even people who are not really into their fitness tend to purchase these supplements. A lot of my friends take a daily multi vitamin but would never consider purchasing protein shakes. I myself started purchasing multi vitamins when I moved out of my parent's house to make sure I was getting the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of each of the thirteen vitamins. I used to pop a multi vitamin in my mouth each morning and never thought twice. However, I recently wrote some articles on each of the vitamins and … [Read more...]