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December 19, 2017 by Heather

The Benefits of Vitamin C

This is the time of the year when the common cold and cough starts to make its round. Many people turn to Vitamin C to help fight off sickness or to keep from getting sick in the first place.

Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that plays a vital role in maintaining the health of our body’s connective tissue. It also acts as an antioxidant. Our body is not capable of producing it on its own, and unfortunately, it can’t store it on its own either so it is important to eat a healthy diet with plenty of vegetables and fruits.

What Vitamin C can do For Your Health?
Some of the first discoveries of just how important Vitamin C is to our health would be around the time of the scurvy epidemic. This deadly disease would kill thousands of sailors in the Royal Navy.

A Scottish surgeon in the Royal Navy, James Lind, discovered a simple antidote. He would give the soldiers a daily dose of lemon juice, which helped cure and prevents this avoidable disease. This ritual was so effective that it later became a routine practice in the British Navy.

While history has proven the positive cure of scurvy through the use of this potent nutrient, today, Vitamin C remains necessary for a number of other important health benefits.

Some of these benefits include protection of immune system deficiencies, cardiovascular disease, and to prevent the early signs of aging on the skin. It’s also been known to prevent bruising, swollen gums, dry and splitting hair, nosebleeds, gingivitis, swollen joints, and possible weight gain.

Vitamin C and Respiratory Health
Italy is one of the largest producers of Kiwi fruit worldwide. A study was done in Northern Italy between children that were 6-7 years old. They wanted to see how effective Kiwi fruit was for respiratory health and how it offered protection to the lungs through its antioxidant properties.

Their study showed that children who consumed more kiwi fruit on a daily basis were less likely to experience respiratory problems such as wheezing, night coughing, and sneezing.

Best Sources of Natural Vitamin C
Without a doubt, the best source of Vitamin C would be naturally sourced from fruits and vegetables. Sadly, most people don’t consume their required servings of fruits and vegetables on a consistent basis, which is why taking a supplement, is safe and effective.

The foods richest in Vitamin C are mainly citrus fruits, kiwis, tomatoes, red peppers, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, pomegranate, raspberries, pineapples, dark leafy greens, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, and brussel sprouts.

December 12, 2017 by Heather

What Are Macronutrients, and How Does The Body Use Them?

If you’re busy hitting the gym but not gaining the muscle you’re looking to get, you may not be getting enough protein. Or if you’re lacking in energy to exercise you’re probably not eating enough carbs in your diet. Most people tend to focus on counting calories when they are trying to lose or gain weight, or just to maintain a healthy weight.

Of course, controlling your diet and paying attention to calories in and calories out is important, but what we really should be paying attention to is macronutrient intake. On the other hand, if you’re trying to lose weight but not seeing any change, you may be getting too many macros.

Important Nutrients

There are two types of nutrients; macronutrients and micronutrients, and they are both essential in a well-balanced diet as they keep the body strong and healthy.

Macronutrients are nutrients that you need in large quantities, such as, protein, fats, carbohydrates, and essentially provide your body with energy, muscle growth, and repair.

Micronutrients are the vitamins and minerals that your body needs in order to carry out daily functions. They are essential to the production of hormones, enzymes, and anything that the body needs to produce on its own.

Both macronutrients and micronutrients play an important part in the health of our body, you could say they’re “joined at the hip,” as macronutrients supply our body with energy, and micronutrients help us utilize that energy.

How Does our Body Use Macronutrients?

A good healthy diet consists of plenty of carbs, some protein, and then some fat. Let’s break down macros and see how the body uses them.

Carbohydrates – 4 calories per 1g
Carbs are your body’s main source of energy. They can be found in things like pasta, potatoes, vegetables, and bread.

A good rule of thumb when choosing your carbs is to find whole grains and anything that gives you slow-burning energy. What you want to avoid are empty carbs such as sugar or anything that is highly processed.

Protein – 4 calories per 1g
As you can see, both protein and carbohydrates contain the same number of calories per gram. Many people choose to do a low-carb diet because they think that carbs make them fat. But remember that each macro provides our body with something different and carbs are very important. Protein is necessary for growth and repair, and for packing on muscles. They can be found in meat, eggs, and dairy, as well as in plant-based sources such as quinoa, legumes, and nuts.

Fats – 9 calories per 1g
Fat gets a bad rap for an obvious cause; however, bad fats must not be confused with healthy fats that are essential for our general health, and to keep our body functioning at its best. Healthy fats can be found in olive oil, nuts, fish, avocados, and seed oils.

In Conclusion
There is a general assumption that carbs and fat are bad, and protein is good, but this is not the case as each is important in a well-balanced diet, and the body requires all three.

The number of macros you need in your diet depends on your personal goals. Eating too much of anything can have a negative effect on your health and your fitness goals, and can cause you to gain weight, even protein. Check out the Beachbody On Demand app for structured fitness and nutrition plans where the macros are balanced for you – making it easy for you to achieve your fitness goals!