Losing Weight Could Mean Losing Vitamins And Nutrients

Maintaining a healthy weight is one of the best things a personcan do to preserve ones overall well being. For most people,this means counting calories, establishing a regular exerciseroutine, and sometimes cutting out certain foods altogether.While all of these things are excellent for living a healthylifestyle, they can also leave our bodies lacking in vitalnutrients such as vitamins, minerals, or protein. Thesenutrients play important roles in the daily function andmaintenance of the human body. Discount vitamins can help notonly in providing these nutrients, but also in the fat burningprocess itself.The daily recommended caloric intake for a woman is 2000calories; for a man it is 2500. Of course, these numbers arejust averages and fluctuate depending on the persons age,activity level, height, and other factors. By the time youdivvy those calories up amongst the four major food groups perthe recommendations of the USDAs food pyramid, there is notmuch room for anything else. In addition, it is a smallminority of people whose eating habits are centered around thefood pyramid. Most diets are very heavy in animal proteins andcarbohydrates (most of which are the bad simple carbs, likewhite flour and sugar, versus the beneficial complex carbs,like fiber and whole grains) and very light in fresh fruits andvegetables. Given the difficulty of getting a days worth ofnutrients at 2000-2500 calories, it makes it virtuallyimpossible to do so with a caloric intake of 500-1000 less thanthat, which is the average range of calories most dieters cut inorder to lose weight.In addition to cutting calories, many other diets affect apersons ability to get all necessary nutrients for goodhealth. Some of these are fad diets. They are so namedbecause they will become very popular and remain so for a briefperiod before everyone falls off the wagon and the diets losepopularity. The Atkins Diet is a more recent one, but othermemorable fad diets include the cabbage soup diet, thegrapefruit diet, and the ramen noodle diet. All of these dietspromoted certain foods or food groups over the limitation orexclusion of others. For instance, the Atkins diet had only avery small allowance for carbohydrates, limiting consumption offruit, some vegetables, cereal, bread, pasta, and other grains.However, many of this diets proponents took this to meanunlimited servings of animal protein (meat) and fats. With thecabbage soup diet and the ramen noodle diet, participants ateonly those foods for at least two meals a day. The lack ofvariety in all fad diets makes it unachievable to get all ofthe vitamins and other nutrients a body needs every day.Other restrictive diets are those of lifestyle choices.Vegetarianism falls into this category and is the exclusion ofmeat, poultry, and often fish and seafood. Veganism takes it astep further by eliminating animal products altogether,including eggs and dairy. Both diets can make it difficult toconsume adequate amounts of protein, calcium, and vitamin D.Discount vitamins and supplements are an excellent balance foranyone attempting to lose weight. For those who tend to avoidtheir veggies, discount vitamins can provide vitamins A, C, andK. Individuals participating in low-carb diets can get theirdaily dose of iron (most breakfast cereals are fortified withiron and have become a primary source of this nutrient),vitamin C, and fiber from supplemental sources.While vegetarians and vegans generally have diets high in thenutrients found in fresh fruits and vegetables, they aregenerally lacking in protein, calcium, and vitamins B-12 and D.In general, many of these come from animal sources. Therefore,soy protein supplements, calcium chews, and multivitamins areall important to individuals choosing a vegetarian or veganlifestyle.Vitamin B should be of particular concern to those countingcalories or on restrictive diets. Its benefits are two-fold.Not only does vitamin B aid in healthy skin and muscle tone,promote cell growth and the production of red blood cells, itassists in proper organ and nervous system function. It alsoboosts the metabolism and enhances the process of convertingfats, proteins, and carbohydrates to energy. This is theprocess of burning fat and losing body weight.In fact, all vitamins and nutrients play an important role inthe daily maintenance and function of our bodies. Vitamin Abuilds healthy skeletal and soft tissue and promotes goodvision. Vitamin C boosts the immune system, is vital for cellgrowth and repair, and serves as an antioxidant. Antioxidantsfight free radicals within the body and help to slow the agingprocess. Vitamin D aids the body in absorbing calcium, thusplaying an important role in strong bones and teeth. Known forits ability to fight heart disease and for the part it plays inthe formation of red blood cells vitamin E is essential. Likevitamin C, Vitamin E is also an antioxidant. Vitamin K isvalued for its blood-clotting abilities, making it a truelifesaver in many cases. Proteins are the foundations of allcells. Without it, our bodies cannot form lean muscle mass.(The alternative is fat.) Individuals with active lifestylesrequire more protein than those who are sedentary. Finally,calcium gives mammals, particularly humans strong bones andteeth and is vital in the fight against osteoporosis.It is very scary to think of what a diet lacking in essentialnutrients can do to the body. While the objective of dietingand counting calories to be healthier is admirable, to doso without the proper nutrition can be self-defeating. Whatgood is it to achieve a healthy body weight if the body beginsto fail due to lack of the proper nutrients? There is only oneway to balance weight loss and a healthy body and that isthrough adequate nutrition.Through diet, exercise, and discount vitamins, the combinationwith the most success in developing a healthy body is in place.Attempting to lose weight without the proper nutrition canleave the body lacking in essential nutrients. A deficiency inany one vitamin or mineral can throw the entire body off balanceand undermine a persons weight loss efforts. Discount vitaminscan help not only in maintaining efficient daily function of thebody, its organs, and its various symptoms, but they are also akey in optimizing the bodys fat burning abilities and inboosting the metabolism.About The Author: By a freelance writer for VitaNet Healthfoods, http://vitanetonline.com/ , who sells quality vitaminsand herbs with a wide selection of Discount Vitamins:http://vitanetonline.com/ that are in stock and ready to ship.Please link to this site when using article.