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Let’s compare drinking water and breathing air. Lots and lots of folks filter the water they drink because they have learned of the importance to their health of pure, clean water. Did you know that we breathe on average 20,000 liters of air a day compared to drinking about an average of 2 liters of water per day.

Should we be thinking more about the air we breathe? When you consider that the toxins in the air are directly absorbed by the lungs, maybe we should.

Indoor air pollution has been tagged by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) as our number one environmental health concern.

It is estimated that some 40 million Americans have allergies and 17 million have asthma. Millions more other lung or breathing illnesses.

Consider some factors that have increased our air pollution:

1) We use more chemicals

2) Our homes are closed up tighter than they used to be, trapping those chemicals, toxins and fumes in the air in our homes.

The closed environment of our homes also presents problems such as mold and bacteria growth.

Indoor air pollutants total quite a list. Here are some: molds, fungus, virus, bacteria, glues, carpeting, dry cleaning chemicals, dust mites and other allergens, cooking odors, pet odors, smoke, personal care items such as hair spray and nail products, and cleaning products.

We can’t control all of these pollutants or remove them all from our homes. However, we do have choices. Choices that will help make our health better now and for our future.

Two choices we definitely have that can make immediate improvement toward a healthier home are also environmentally favorable.

One is to take all of the cleaning products that have harmful toxins, chemicals and fumes out of our homes and choose a safe, green, environmentally friendly brand. There are products that actually work better than popular store brands and will save you money too.

Another is to get a quality air purifier that will remove from the indoor air, the toxins and chemicals and fumes that we have less control over their presence in our homes. An air purification system that actually drops these particulates from the air we breathe down to the lowest surface in the home means that we do not breathe them into our bodies.

These may seem like simple choices, but they are powerful choices where you feel an immediate change in the air quality of your home. No more smelling cleaning products that are offensive and risking your health to have your home clean. And no more breathing in particles you can’t even see or hear but can contribute to your developing the kinds of illnesses we spoke about at the beginning of this article and even more serious problems like reproductive illnesses and even cancer.

It is up to each of us as individuals to be in charge of our own GOOD HEALTH. Choose a BRAND that will accomplish that for you. Home cleaning products, air purification and water purification products that are guaranteed to work for you or your money back.

Way back 25 years ago.. before I started to take this brand of vitamins, of course I did my homework on the differences between vitamins. Natural vitamins vs synthetic vitamins was one consideration. Just the other day as I was spending some time for online research, I came across an article that states pretty much the same thing that I learned 25 years ago.

Natural vitamins are balanced the way you would find the ingredients in foods. Higher quality ‘food’ is used to make them. The best brands use low heat, low pressure processing to make the vitamins. It is important to have the strong enzymatic action be retained in the finished vitamin product. Natural vitamins are absorbed and utilized by the body to provide the results that are desired when taking them. Reputable brands are backed by independent, proven scientific research.

That is a TALL order, but it IS available ‘out there’. This is why we do our homework!

Synthetic vitamins are man made, test tube products. There are no enzymes. Inorganic substances are used and side effects are common.

Health food store choices are actually a third type of vitamins, and do not fare much better than synthetic according to many folks. Low quality raw materials are used and the formulations are not balanced. Heat extracted ingredients contribute to the finished product that presents with weak enzymes, fillers, and harsh binders. Chemicals are used in processing which is almost always undesirable.

Certain vitamins need special scrutiny. Synthetic vitamin E can actually block natural vitamin E activity in the body. In regard to B vitamins, some synthetic B’s can be adversely affected by the food dyes that are a common ingredient in the synthetic vitamins.

I could relate to an example that was presented in the article. Think about the fact that synthetic vitamins, and even certain natural isolate (health food store varieties) vitamins, extract ingredients from food sources. If you take only one ingredient from a food like an apple, to put into the vitamin, you miss the other nutrients in that food. Sometimes the ingredient extracted doesn’t work without those other parts that, in foods, work synergistically together. Plus you are not benefitting from those other ingredients.

Our bodies need a broad spectrum of nutrients for the best health. The reason we supplement is that we don’t get all of these nutrients from our food. That is a proven fact. And when we do make the commitment and take on the expense of supplementing our diets with vitamins, we should expect to get the best effect that will give us better health.

As in everything, we have choices. Since vitamin quality is still not regulated well as far as what can be available on the store shelves for us to purchase, it falls on individuals to find the best quality.

After all of these years, I do not think it is fair that certain vitamin manufacturers still look for the cheapest way to produce their products. Synthetics and chemical vitamins are less expensive to make and to buy, but in the end, at what cost?

The first ever Long-term Food Supplement Study was recently published. In measuring blood tests of participants that either took one certain natural brand, other store brands, and no supplement at all, it was determined that certain blood levels were actually worse with taking a synthetic store brand than taking no vitamin at all. To me, this is not only a scary thing for the health of these folks, but also not fair that these products can even be available for sale. We certainly don’t want to throw our money away by getting no benefits, and of course do not want to be worse off when we do buy and take a vitamin.

Many highly advertised synthetic vitamins have some serious health considerations attached to people taking them. They may be processed at high temperatures and contain chemicals and other carcinogenic material. Toxins like this that are taken over long periods of time are potentially dangerous. Allergic reactions are also to be considered and would be more immediate. Other reactions include fatigue, memory loss, depression and insomnia.

What is very disappointing is that some of these major brands that have been around for a long time, and that people trust, have some serious issues if one does the homework required to uncover. Not only are they using cheap ingredients and formulas, but there are not optimal amounts of individual vitamins present that are needed by the body. And the chemicals that lead to poor health should not be there at all.

Bottom line: research your brand, TRUST your brand, so that you can build GOOD HEALTH that is proven and measurable.

Article referenced in blog post can be found at: http://www.chiff.com/a/natural-vitamin.htm.

Beef tastes great right? Just like most of what we hear about our diets, the word ‘moderation’ should apply. Why you ask? Well if the recalls due to contamination and now mistreatment of animals is not enough, how about the fact that it is not the most healthy protein we can choose.

Today I wrote a press release about the attributes of Soy Protein. You can read more about the facts at the link below, so allow me to share some personal thoughts here.

Beef and Soy Press Release

Before trying this brand soy protein, I was NOT a soy user. I did not like the taste of the soy options I could find and so I did not ‘choose’ to partake!

We live in a fast-paced, busy world and most of need at least some of our meal choices each day to be convenient and, well, quick is good. Taste is important also, especially if we are going to be consistent with a healthy food.

These are the reasons why I love Soy Protein from this brand. There are several choices and I happen to like them all. This gives me variety as well as an excellent healthy food to consume everyday.

I wrote in the press release about all the healthy benefits of soy, and how it is a better protein source than animal proteins. I also wrote about what sets this brand apart, from the way the soy is processed to the quality of ingredients used. Here I would like to concentrate more about how you can make this part of your daily food choices.

In the morning, the first food of the day is so important for your body to get started right. Balancing blood sugar levels at this time can make a world of difference in how you feel throughout the day. If you eat more protein, you are going to stabilize your blood sugar levels and feel more balanced until your next meal. If you eat too many carbs, especially the bad choices of carbs, you are going to have a high and then a little while later, a low, in your blood sugar levels. This translates to fatigue or at least sluggishness through your morning hours.

I really like the feeling of balance.. or the body being satisfied and feeling energized all the way from breakfast until lunch. Soy will do this for you, at least this brand will!

Choices are great also, and there are quite a few here. There is the main Soy Protein product the brand makes. It is your protein part of any meal, and can either be eaten with other foods, or you can add something to the soy to make it into a meal. Fruit, peanut butter, and other ingredients can be combined in a blender with Soy to make a delicious shake that is a full meal. There are two flavors and also an option that only has 1 carb per serving for diabetics or others that choose low carbs.

Consuming soy every day is very quick and easy – so don’t be afraid to get the blender out. A minute to make a shake, a couple to drink and another minute to clean the blender.. you can’t cook a meal or even eat a bowl of cereal (that is much less nutritious) any faster.

There are also Soy Shakes that are complete meals, with other nutrients added to the soy. Great flavors of vanilla and chocolate are available and these choices are great for kids. You can not taste the soy at all in these shakes.

There are weight management shakes that are complete meals and come in four delicious flavors. In addition to soy, there is leucine added into the shakes which helps with retaining muscle while trying to lose weight. This is an excellent product whether you are trying to lose weight, or just maintain.

Finally, there is a muscle recovery protein product that contains both soy and whey proteins that is great for the active person or weight lifter to use. Plus don’t forget that we all have that big ‘heart muscle’ in our body – that needs to be healthy. A scoop of the muscle recovery protein is very beneficial for each of us to eat on a daily basis.

All of these protein powders can be a meal choice for each and every one of us every day of our lives. Until you experience how your body feels when you take the best protein source of all each day, you may not be able to relate to these statements. I feel pretty sure that when you do try, you will believe!

My best advice is to definitely use a blender, and put a piece of ice (you only need one regular size ice cube to make a great difference) with your protein powder and liquid (water, milk, juice or combinations of these) to get the best taste of all.