At the time of my previous post, I couldn’t recall the name for the gummy vitamins for adults that I saw in a commercial. Well, I’ve found them. Supplement company One-A-Day has combined gummy candies with vitamins in their new VitaCraves Adult Multivitamins. Vitacraves are available in fruit and sour fruit flavors for about $9.

The adult multivitamin contains high levels of 11 vitamins to support:

- Immunity with vitamins A, C and E
- Converting food to energy with vitamins B6 and B12, and pantothenic acid
- Heart health with vitamins B6, B12, C, E and folic acid
- Eye health with vitamins A, C and E

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

VitaCraves: A Sweet Vitamin Supplement for Adults

Zinc is essential for growth and development throughout all of our life stages. It supports our immune system and is involved in the healing of our wounds along with helping to form proteins. If you don’t get enough zinc in your diet you could see the deficiency through hair loss, diminished appetite, slowed growth rate, diarrhea, and delayed wound healing.

Zinc deficiencies can occur from low dietary intake of foods high in zinc, from growth spurts specifically during puberty when the body needs more, or if it is poorly absorbed in the system. The recommended daily allowance is as follows:

• Female adults aged 19+ should have roughly 8 milligrams a day
• Male adults aged 19+ should have roughly 11 milligrams a day
• Females and Males aged 14-18 (typical growth spurt phase) should have between 9-11 milligrams

Getting zinc in your diet is relatively easy and is typically done through a daily multi-vitamin, but can also be done through eating foods rich in the mineral. The following foods are the best sources:

• Whole grains (as refined grains remove the elements of the grain that contains the zinc mineral)
• Beef
• Poultry (chicken/turkey)
• Shellfish
• Pumpkin seeds (good option for vegetarians)

This concludes the vitamin guide series. I hope you have found it helpful and are incorporating the foods suggested to help ensure you get the vitamins your bodies need to function at their most optimal level. I also recommend speaking with your doctor to make sure your body has the optimal levels for the various vitamins needed. You can also reference all of the vitamin guides here:

Vitamin A

Vitamin B12

Vitamin C

Vitamin D

Vitamin E

Vitamin L

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Vitamin Guide A to Zinc: Zinc

Vitamin L is probably not a vitamin you have heard of before. The reason for this is vitamin L is not a vitamin you can get through eating the right foods or from taking capsules. You can’t get vitamin L from the sun’s beautiful rays. Vitamin L stands for “love” and is equally important in our health and well being as the vitamins our bodies need to function.

Love can mean so many different things to different people, but we all know how good it makes us feel inside to know that someone cares about us. I have always found it to be equally important to show your love as much as it is to receive it. It can be those little gestures that mean the most and get us feeling warm all over. Here are some ideas to get you spreading the love (vitamin L) around.

• Send a card to a friend or family member out of the blue to let them know you are thinking of them.
• Smile at a stranger as you walk down the street. Smiles are contagious!
• Don’t let go of a hug so quickly, really take in the embrace and personal contact.
• Cook the favorite meal of someone special in your life.
• Take on a chore that you don’t normally handle at home to help alleviate stress. Maybe it’s taking care of the laundry or picking up the laundry on your way home.
• Shower your kids with some extra encouragement to boost their confidence and remind them how much you love them and how proud you are of them.

Remember it’s the little things that mean the most. Spread the love around and it will come back to you. Love can lift our spirits and help turn our day around.

See the entire vitamin guide:

Vitamin A

Vitamin B12

Vitamin C

Vitamin D

Vitamin E

Vitamin L

Zinc

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Vitamin Guide from A to Zinc: Vitamin L

Vitamin E is typically measured in milligrams and the recommended daily intakes are as follows:

• Men 19+ years of age = 15mg/daily
• Women 19+ years of age=15mg/daily
• Women who are breastfeeding= 19mg/daily

Check with your health care provider to determine how much vitamin E you need, especially if you are a woman who is expecting. According to a study recently done by the USDA, the intake of vitamin E by women aged 19-50 years was less than 90%, a number that can be improved upon with the following foods:

• 1oz Almonds – 8mg
• 1oz Sunflower oil – 14mg
• 1 tbsp Vegetable oil – 3mg
• 2 tbsp Peanut Butter – 3mg
• ½ Frozen Broccoli – 2mg
• 1 raw Mango – 1mg

In addition to the foods listed above, green leafy vegetables are also a good source, such as spinach. Please note that some foods lose a good amount of their vitamin E content when cooked, processed or even through storage. To help retain the vitamin amount use whole-grain flours and ensure foods are stored in airtight containers.

View the entire vitamin guide:

Vitamin A

Vitamin B12

Vitamin C

Vitamin D

Vitamin E

Vitamin L

Zinc

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Vitamin Guide A-Zinc: Vitamin E

With the increase in concern for skin cancers and wanting to protect our skin from sun damage and burning, the amount of sunscreen we utilize has caused our vitamin D levels to plummet. I myself am very fair skinned, but I still make sure to allow my skin time outdoors to soak up the sun’s beautiful rays in limited quantities, ensuring not to burn or over expose myself.

Deficiencies in vitamin D are most commonly muscular weakness and weak bones. The disease that we are mostly familiar with associated with vitamin D is osteoporosis, where an individual will have very fragile bones, which can result in bone fractures.

The recommended daily intake by the National Osteoporosis Foundation is 400-800 IU for adults younger than 50 and 800-1000 IU for adults older than age 50. You should talk to you doctor to understand what levels are best suited for you and can be tested to monitor those levels as well.

In addition to the sun being a great way to increase your vitamin D levels, food is also an ideal source. Examples are:

• Cooked salmon 3.5oz – 360 IU
• 1 whole egg – 25 IU
• Cooked mackerel 3.5oz – 345 IU
• Canned sardines 3.5oz – 270 IU
• Soy milk – 120 IU

You can also look for products such as juices and cereals that are fortified with vitamin D. While they won’t contain as much of the vitamin as whole foods, they will certainly help add to the levels needed by your body.

View the entire vitamin guide:

Vitamin A

Vitamin B12

Vitamin C

Vitamin D

Vitamin E

Vitamin L

Zinc

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Vitamin Guide from A to Zinc: Vitamin D

Fruits and vegetables are the best sources for vitamin C; although I myself take a supplement as it ensures I get the right amount my body needs daily. Being that vitamin C may also protect against certain types of cancer and heart disease you should be sure to eat the following foods to get your daily dose:

• Peppers
• Oranges/Orange Juice
• Grapefruit
• Broccoli
• Kale
• Kiwi

Additional good sources include brussel sprouts, cabbage and tangerines.

The recommended dietary allowance is as follows:

• Adolescents 14-18 years old: 65-75mg/day
• Adults 19 years and older: 75-90mg/day
• Pregnancy: 80-85mg/day

Examples of how to reach the daily dietary allowances, although you should check with your doctor to make sure you know your correct allowance, are as follows:

• Medium green or yellow peppers – 225mg/serving
• Medium orange – 80mg/serving
• Medium baked potato – 20mg/serving

Stay tuned next week, 12/19, as the vitamin guide continues with vitamin D.

View the entire vitamin guide:

Vitamin A

Vitamin B12

Vitamin C

Vitamin D

Vitamin E

Vitamin L

Zinc

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Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Vitamin Guide A to Zinc: Vitamin C

Vitamin B12 is a water–soluble vitamin, so you don’t have to worry about having too much in your system or risk of toxicity. Any amount of the vitamin your body does not need will be rid of through urine, unlike vitamin A as reviewed last week. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for the average adult is 2.4 micrograms per day. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should increase their daily allowance to 2.6-2.8 micrograms.

Animal foods are the primary source for getting B12 in your diet outside of utilizing supplementation. Meat, poultry, dairy foods and eggs are the main sources. If you are a vegetarian you could be lacking B12 as few foods such as cereals, meat substitutes and soy products have the vitamin fortified in it. Make sure to read the nutrition labels on the foods you purchase and otherwise speak to your doctor about a supplementation.

• 8oz. of yogurt contains 1.3mcg
• 3oz. of extra lean cooked beef contains 1.8mcg
• 1 serving of fortified cereal contains 1.5mcg

View the entire vitamin guide:

Vitamin A

Vitamin B12

Vitamin C

Vitamin D

Vitamin E

Vitamin L

Zinc

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Vitamin Guide from A to Zinc: Vitamin B12

Vitamin A not only helps with vision but it is an antioxidant, which means that this substance can prevent damage to our bodies’ cells and also help with repairing damage. Additionally,vitamin A helps with maintaining our skin tissue and it is necessary for our cell growth. It also helps fight off infection, which in addition to the benefits listed above, makes vitamin A essential for our bodies.

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin. Fat-soluble means that it does not dissolve in water and therefore our bodies don’t tend to get rid of it through urine as we do with the water-soluble vitamins such as the B vitamins. This is important to note as too much vitamin A in the system can be toxic. The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for men is 1000 micrograms and for women it is 800 micrograms per day. You should consult your doctor to ensure you are getting the amounts that are right for you.

The best sources for getting vitamin A in your diet are through vegetables and fruits that are deep orange and dark green in color such as carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, spinach, bok choy and mustard greens. When Vitamin A is obtained through these kinds of plant sources, it is referred to as beta-carotene, which then gets converted into vitamin A in the liver. Other good sources of this vitamin are milk, milk products and eggs.

Stay tuned next week, December 4th, as the vitamin guide continues with the B vitamins, focusing on vitamin B12.

Sign up for Amy’s monthly Natural Health Newsletter.

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Vitamin Guide from A to Zinc: Vitamin A

My wife and I have been giving my three-year-old daughter gummy bear vitamins for a year or so now. We’ve found it an easy way to get her to supplement her very finicky diet. And I even find myself occasionally dipping into her stash.

Then, a few months back I see a commercial for gummy vitamins… marketed to adults! It must have gotten back to them that we parents like ‘em too. I don’t recall the maker, just that there was a guy acting child-like in the supermarket. A quick “Googling” only unearthed a company called Slice of Life that makes allergen- and gluten-free gummy vitamins for adults.

Not only do the Slice of Life vitamins come in a multi-variety, but there are ones for special needs such as Vitamin C, omega-3, B12, among other even more specialized nutritional needs.

Some people have a hard time remembering their daily vitamins, or just don’t look forward to them enough to make it a habit. If you have a soft spot for gummy candy like I do, maybe try one of these.

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Gummy Vitamins For Adults

1. Calcium – According to the National Institute of Health, the recommended total calcium intake is 1,000 mg a day for women between 25 and 50 years of age, 1,200 – 1,500 for pregnant or lactating women, and 1,500 mg per day for postmenopausal women. The average calcium consumption among North American women is currently only 600 mg per day. I take a calcium magnesium supplement and find that it really helps me with nighttime leg cramps.
2. Fish Oil – fish are rich sources of Omega 3s, most especially EPA and DHA, highly specialized fats that cannot be made by our bodies in the levels we need. Taking these essential oils also has an added skin benefit, and because we all know that fish is brain food – well, the thought of improved brain function never fails to sway me. Make sure it’s an encapsulated version so as to avoid fish oil burps. (I take mine at night.)
3. Vitamin D -The major biologic function of Vitamin D is to maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus. Vitamin D aids in the absorption of calcium, helping to form and maintain strong bones. The FDA has increased the levels of Vitamin D recommended, and a low level of this important vitamin has been shown to affect mental stability.
4. B Complex – The Vitamin B Complex is comprised of the essential B Vitamins – Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B9, Vitamin B12 plus the vitamins Biotin, Choline and Inositol. Vitamin B Complex is needed for the proper functioning of almost every process in the body, including energy production, healthy digestion and great looking skin, hair and nails – a wonderful side benefit!
5. Multi-Vitamin – My other choice would be a quality multi-vitamin, one balanced in the key nutrients and close to 100% of the RDA without going over with enormous numbers. Many of those high numbers are impressive, but they are often water soluble vitamins and can cause you to have nothing more than “expensive pee.”

What would you add or subtract?

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Five Key Supplements For Good Health