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Vitamins and Minerals

Micro Nutrients, Vitamins and Minerals, may be little guys and compose a small percentage of our body but don't underestimate their Importance!




Let's start with Vitamins. Most vitamins can not be manufactured by our body so we need to make sure we are getting them in our diet. You can get your vitamins eating a variety of whole, nutrient dense properly prepared food and sometimes may need to supplement as well if you feel you are not getting enough. Vitamins produce the best results when present with co-factors.

The Roles Vitamins perform in the body is essential for our overall well being:

• Function primarily as coenzymes, or they help in metabolism
• They are essential for our growth, vitality and health in general
• Vitamins aid in digestion and elimination, also help in resistance to disease
• If there is a depletion of vitamins in a person it can lead to a variety of specific nutritional disorders and general health problems

There are two classifications of Vitamins, Fat Soluble and Water Soluble.  Fat soluble vitamins remain in the body for longer periods of time while the water soluble vitamins are not stored in the body long and readily depleted.

Fat Soluble Vitamins: A, D, E, K

Water Soluble Vitamins: B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, Biotin, Vitamin C, Inositol, Choline, Folic Acid



 Now on to MINERALS.  These guys compose about 4% of our body and are provided from food sources, the body does not produce minerals.  Minerals are what remain as ash when plant or animal tissue are burned. They come from the earth and will eventually return to the earth.....pretty cool! 

When we eat/drink Nutrient-dense foods like, bone broth, vegetables, mineral rich water, un-refined salt we are providing our bodies with the minerals it needs to Function Optimally!! The minerals are now being able to perform their many Roles they have in the body!!

• They act as co factors for enzyme reactions
•  Maintain pH balance in the body
• Minerals also facilitate the transfer of nutrients across cell membranes
• They help maintain proper nerve conduction
• Contract and relax muscles
• Also, help with the growth of tissue

 Macrominerals and Microminerals are the two classifications of Minerals

Macrominerals include: Calcium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Magnesium, Sulfur, Sodium, Chloride. These macrominerals are found in larger abundance in the body.

Mincrominerals include: Iron, Boron, Chromium, Iodine, Manganese, Selenium, Lithium, Copper, Zinc, Vanadium, Molybdenum, Silicon, Rubidium, Germanium.  These are found in smaller amounts in the body. But.....are just as important!

So wake up in the morning make a smoothie, eat some fruit, heck have some bone broth for breakfast and get a great start on your Vitamin and Mineral intake for a Healthy Vibrant Body!!


 

Proteins

PROTEINS!! I know I'm Pro....Proteins!! They are the building blocks of the body and our body uses them to form organs, nerves, muscles, and flesh......So, yeah, I'd say they are pretty Important and essential to our body!

Free Range Organic Eggs, Grass-Fed/Free Range Chicken, Whole-Raw Dairy, Deep-Sea Water Fresh Fish, Soaked Beans and Nuts are all great sources of Protein. When we are eating these proteins they are able to perform their purpose in our body.

Proteins Roles in the Body:

• Enzymes: Protein molecules that are the managers and catalysts for all biochemical processess

• Antibodies: proteins that help fight infections!! You go Antibodies!

• Hemoglobin: Proteins that regulate our metabolism and almost every other function in the body.

 Amino Acids are the building blocks of Proteins. All Proteins are combinations of 20 amino acids, 10 of which are essential and 10 which are not essential. 


 Eating Protein in a balanced diet with Fats, Carbohydrates, Water, Vitamins and Minerals will allow these Macro and Micro Nutrients to work together and give our bodies the right tools to be and become strong, healthy and vibrant.

Fats

The dreaded subject....dun dun dun.....FATS!! Eeeeeek!!! Just Kidding, these poor guys sure have a bad reputation, when in all actuality we need good fats in our diet to serve important roles in our body's function. So why are Fats so FAT-ASTIC? Well for one they make our food taste delicious all while feeding our body with essential nutrients for optimum health! You heard me, Fats are not all bad! Now don't get me wrong, don't go crazy and load up on a bag of chips cause not all fats are created equal. There are good fats and bad fats. Yup, those bad fats sure can cause havoc in our system and unfortunately, amazing as our bodies are they can overwhelm us and lead to not so fun health issues.

 So, why is it so important to have Good Fats in our diet? Here is a list of some of the roles fats perform in the body:

• They provide a source of energy, a slow burning energy
• Fats are building blocks for cell membranes and hormones
• They are required for the absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins: A, D, E, K
• We need fats to help with the adequate use of proteins
• Our organs need fats to serve as a protective lining
• They play a role in slowing the absorption of food for proper energy regulation
• And just makes our food taste better

             We all need a mix of Healthy Fatty Acids in our diet to maintain ideal health.

                       Here are the classification of Healthy Fats we need in our Diets.

SATURATED                             MONOUNSATURATED                        POLYUNSATURATED 

Highly Stable                                Relatively Stable                                      Relatively Unstable

Do Not go rancid easily                Do not go rancid easily                            Go rancid easily

Solid/Semi solid                            Liquid at room Temperature                    Always Liquid
at room temp

Non essential,                               Non Essential,                                          Two are Essential
the body can make these              the body can make these
                                                            
Found in animal Fats and             Found in olive oil, oil from                      Never heat or use
Tropical Oils, Butter, Eggs           almonds, pecans, cashews, peanuts         in cooking
Coconut Oil, Raw Dair                 and avocados
                                                                                                                       Flax, nuts.......


All Fats and oils are some combination of the 3 above. 

There are two Polyunsaturated fats our bodies must have.  Our bodies are not able to make these fats and so it is Essential we get them in our diet or we will become deficient, which is the case in many people already.

• Linoleic Acid (LA) Omega 6
• Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA) Omega 3

Now like I said, All Fats are not created equal and there are FATS to AVOID: Hydrogenated fats, partially-hydrogenated, highly processed vegetable oils, and Fried Fats.  These Fats are scary and man can they mess with our bodies.

Try adding some Healthy Fats to your diet and see if you notice more energy, and maybe even an improvement in your skin, hair or nails. Everybody is different so slowly add them along with good quality carbohydrates and proteins and listen as your body is nourished from the inside out. 

Carbohydrates

The energy providing macronutrient which chemically, contain Carbon (carbo) and Water (hydrate) is known as Carbohydrates!  Our body turns carbs to glucose and uses them immediately as a quick source of energy or stores it in the liver or muscles for later. Carbohydrates compose about 2% of our body. I know that doesn't sound like a lot but the roles they play in our bodies are essential to sustaining a healthy properly functioning body.  Sometimes they can have a bad rap but not all carbohydrates are created equal, there are good and bad carbs.

Good Carbs: Are unrefined and they exist in nature. They provide along with vitamin, minerals, proteins and fats nutrients that support our body.

Bad Carbs: Are refined and are man made mixtures. These may give you a quick fix/buzz but are hostile to life due to the fact they are stripped of their nutrients and are usually loaded with harmful ingredients.


The two classifications of Carbs are Simple Carbs and Complex Carbs. Here is a little chart showing  some examples of the Refined and Unrefined Carbs in both the classifications.




                                     SIMPLE                                                                   COMPLEX

                               Starch+Fiber+Sugar                                                    Starch+Fiber+Sugars
             
                     Refined                Unrefined                                     Refined                          Unrefined    
                    White Sugar              Fruit                                           Bread                              Vegetables                      
                     Fruit Juice                Raw Honey                                White Rice                      Legumes         

                     Corn Syrup              Maple Syrup                              Pasta                                Dried Beans                         
                                                      Freshly Squeezed Juices           Chips                               Brown Rice 
                                                                        
                                                                                                               (Properly Prepared)Whole Grains



About 40% of your daily calorie intake should be UNREFINED mostly COMPLEX carbohydrates.  If you can select organic, local and seasonal products whenever possible that is even better.



The roles carbohydrates have in the body are great to know so you can understand why you need them and teach your friends, kids and family why it's so important they eat their broccoli ;).


Roles Carbohydrates play in the body:

-They provide fuel for the brain

-Are a quick source of energy

-Help regulate protein and fat metabolism

-Provide a source of fiber, which helps with regular elimination of waste materials

-Along with proteins and fats Carbohydrates also help; fight infections, promote growth of body tissues such as bones and skin

-They also help lubricate the joints
   
So next time you have a meal make sure you're getting some delicious GOOD carbs and just know that your body will thank you!







                                                       

                           

Water

Now that we've covered Digestion lets get in to Macronutrients! There are six classes of nutrients; water, carbohydrates, proteins, fats and (micronutrients) minerals and vitamins. We thrive off these nutrients and they are necessary to sustain life!

Lets start with Water. Aw, aqua.....refreshing, cleansing, thirst quenching and just overall AW-MAZING! We can only survive days without water, that just shows how important it is to our lives, it is the MOST important nutrient in the body. The list of roles water has in our body could go on and on but here are just a few of those roles.

•  Improves oxygen delivery to cells
• Cushions bones and joints
• Improves cell-to-cell communication
• Transports nutrients
• Empowers the body's natural healing process
• Enables cellular hydration
• Flushes toxins
• Removes waste
• Regulates body temperature

Not only those but water can improve skin, help with weight loss and give you more energy!! These are great bonuses when we up our water intake.

The body is capable of producing about 8% of its daily water needs through metabolic processes. The remaining 92% must be ingested through the foods we eat and the beverages we drink.  It is essential that we are getting enough water on a daily basis. The best way to know how much water you are drinking daily is to divide your weight by 2 and drink that many ounces in water daily.  

In an ideal world we would be getting more than enough water from our diets without even trying but these days most the foods and drinks we are ingesting are diuretics which are dehydrating. Coffee, soda, alcohol, caffeinated teas and even some fruit juices filled with sugar are all diuretics. Anytime you drink one of these add another 12-16 ounces of water to your daily intake.  

I may once and a while partake of a diuretic beverage but all things in moderation and remember if you do indulge in one just up your water for that day. Try not to make a habit of it though. I find that if first thing in the morning I drink a large glass of water it makes me feel energized and is a great start to a hydrated day.

There are a lot of early signs of dehydration that we don't even link to the fact that we may simply just not be getting enough water.  Fatigue, anxiety, irritability, depression, cravings, cramps and headaches could all just be your body's way of telling you that you're dehydrated.

Also, with hydration it is also important to be getting adequate electrolytes back in you system as we lose them daily as well through perspiration and urine.  Unrefined salt is a way to get electrolytes or an electrolyte solution.

So do a little research find the freshest purest water you can in your area and start hydrating your body today, you'll be happy you did.

  

The Digestive System

For this post I want to focus on Digestion and Elimination.  Digestion is fundamental to nutritional therapy! Our digestive system directly effects all other area's of our body and if it is working we are generally in good health and if not, well.......your body has its ways of letting you know and it's up to you to listen to your body and recognize when it's trying to tell you something isn't right.

Where do we start with digestion? We start from the North, so the Mouth (or we could even say the Brain if we want to get real technical). The second we put food into our mouth we start the mechanical/chemical breakdown process of digestion. We use our teeth to chew and our tongue to push the food around in our mouth (mechanical) and we produce saliva which softens our food and produces enzymes do break down carbohydrates (chemical) so they are more easily digested and absorbed.  So we're chewing our food, hopefully slowly, enjoying the tastes and we create a Bolus, this is the chewed up food which when we swallow enters our esophagus and makes it's way down south, to our Stomach.

The stomach (should be) a very acidic place, designed for a normal pH of 1.5-3.0. WOW, it's a good thing our stomach has a mucosa lining to protect us from the strong stomach acid, which if that pH level of acid were to touch our skin it would burn us.  At this point the stomach continues the mechanical breakdown of food, a long with a number of chemical activities.  The bolus is being churned and broken down, while gastric juices are being secreted from millions of tiny gastric glands located in the mucosal lining of the stomach. The bolus is now being broken down into a sort of paste called Chyme.  The chyme is very acidic and now it's time for it to be released into the beginning of the Small Intestine, the Duodenum, say that 5 times fast. Because the chyme is so acidic as it enters the duodenum it triggers the small intestine to secrete mucous and two hormones; secretin and cholecystokinin (CCK). Secretin stimulates the pancreas to release bicarbonate and pancreatic juice and CCk stimulates the gallbladder to release bile.
-Bile is necessary to emulsify and absorb fats
-As part of the pancreatic juice, the pancreas first releases sodium bicarbonate to help raise the pH of chyme and then the enzyme portion of the pancreatic juice is released to complete the chemical digestion of carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

By the time the chyme leaves the duodenum, it's almost completely digested. Now all the absorbable molecules are moved into the jejunum where millions of villi and microvilli (small finger like substances that line the small intestine and absorb the nutrients that pass through) absorb the nutrients into the bloodstream. When they are in the bloodstream they are then carried to the entire body.

Leftover chyme from the small intestine;  fibers that are indigestible, bile, water, and sloughed off cells are passed on to the large intestine through a one way valve called the Ileocecal valve.

Now it's the Large Intestines time to shine! Yep, I said shine! Our digestive system is so amazing and such a hard worker it definitely deserves some enthusiastic lingo associated with it.

So here we are at the very Southern end of the digestive system where our large intestine is put to work; recycling water, recycling the waste material, which nourishes the colon cells. It also captures any lost nutrients that are still available and converts the nutrients to vitamins K, B1, B2, B12, and Butyric acid.  All while our feces are being formed and then the most exciting part........ELIMINATION! Which we are all familiar with.

Proper digestion is a North to South process as well as Dysfunction of the digestive system. Always look to the North and move your way south.

Brain - Mouth - Bolus - Stomach - Chyme - Small Intestine - Remains - Large Intestine - Feces

This was just a broad over view of the digestive system just to give you a general idea of how it works. This information will come in handy in this blog, a lot of things will coincide with digestion and eventually I can go into more detail of digestion and also the disfunction's of the digestive system.

Mini Overview

Nutrition....What is it? Well, it's a science and it's based on the interactions between living organisms and their food.  Nutrients, what is MEANT to be in our food,  are chemical substances contained in food that are NECESSARY to sustain life.

Oh how lucky are we to be given the right tools to sustain our lives right at our fingertips, the Earth. Unfortunately in our culture we've opted for convenience rather than nutrition and it has truly hurt us to a major extent. But we are so lucky to have our intelligent bodies that given the right tools can bounce back and do amazing things!

What I have learned recently, really I've known intuitively my whole life.....What our bodies need to stay overall healthy. By overall I mean, mentally, physically and even spiritually. I truly believe our bodies work as a whole and when we are healthy on the inside it shines on the outside and throughout all aspects of our lives. This is something I've had to learn and am still learning. As I started to become healthier on the inside I noticed so many changes within my moods and thoughts and my overall outlook on life. Don't get me wrong I am still a work in progress and I always will be but that is the exciting part of the journey, learning and living and making the choice to become a better version of myself/ourselves every day.

Ok sorry, I kind of went on a rant there :)

Now what are those nutrients we need, you may ask...well I bet you already know the answer... our bodies need these oh so important Macronutrients; Water, Proteins, Fats, and Carbohydrates. Then there are the Micronutrients; Minerals and Vitamins.  You're probably shaking your head going, "I totally new that!!" Well how often are you getting these important nutrients in your diet? And a diet coke does not count as water :)

From the moment we were just one tiny cell our bodies were being built from these extremely important nutrients, that every human being needs.  They work in our body to help us grow, heal and be healthy.

I want this blog to be a place where we can have discussions and talk about health for our mind, body and soul.  I really think that when we are taking care of those three things we will have such happy fulfilled lives and even when stressful times come along we will be able to handle them with much more ease.

About Me

Hi everyone!!  My name is Marisa Magistro (Reese) (yep that's me with the awkward head tilt) and this is my first blog....eeek... :)  This blog is going to primarily be about Nutrition and the benefits it has on the systems of our body from the inside out as well as our overall health and outlook on life. I'm new at this but am passionate about health and feel everyone should have an opportunity to be educated about what our bodies need to thrive so we can live our fullest happiest lives.

Just a little about me, I am a Colon Hydrotherapist and a soon to be Nutritional Therapist Counselor. I haven't always been interested in health in fact there was a time where I could've cared less about it. I thought having a candy bar and dessert every day was normal. I thought my anxiety and panic attacks were just mental issues I was going to have to deal with the rest of my life, never did I think a healthier diet and lifestyle change would get rid of them so quick. I know without a doubt in my heart that what we put in our bodies directly effects the rest of our lives, how we cope with stress, how our bodies look and feel...etc...etc.

 In our day and age we connect online so much I really want to be able to start a community where we can give/get ideas about health, recipes, stories, motivation, encouragement, and be here for each other in a way that maybe others can't if they're just not on the same path.  I would love to hear feedback from you all and any topics you would like to talk about. I know this will be just as much of a learning experience for me as I hope it is for you. So please come on this journey with me, learn with me, teach me, and maybe even learn a little something from me. :) Thank you for taking the time to read this and I do hope you follow my blog. Happy Health to you ALL!!