Diet & Exercise
Discover More Articles
The End of Mental Illness | December 7th, 2022
Our foundation’s mission is to end mental illness by creating a revolution in brain health. We’ll be sharing the exciting ways we’re making progress.
As an energy tonic, maca is used to overcome fatigue and increase mental clarity. There are also claims that maca has benefited people with autoimmune disorders like fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.
It’s no secret that stress can take a toll on our body, mind, and brain. December is not the month to throw your self-care and mental health priorities out the window.
5 Ways to Stay Motivated This Winter
When the seasons change it suddenly becomes harder to get out and exercise. Winter fitness programs aren’t the easiest to stick to, but they’re imperative to your overall health and well-being. So with that in mind, let’s take a look at what you can do to stay motivated and successful with your winter fitness goals.
How to Detox After Holiday Feasts
If you’re having a hard time committing to your diet over the holidays, you’re not alone. And the good news is you don’t have to be perfect to maintain your weight over the holiday season. Try following these simple detox tips after each scrumptious holiday meal and start the new year fresh and ready to finally achieve your health and fitness goals.
High Protein Meal Replacement Shakes
Meal replacement shakes aren’t just low in calories, they’re high in essential nutrients your body needs to keep yourself nourished and your stomach feeling full, while helping also you maintain or lose weight. Protein provides numerous benefits to your body, including fueling the entire body, helping build muscle mass and being a key component to essential substances your body needs, like antibodies and blood.
Skin Cycling: all about the newest trend
The skin cycling hashtag has been viewed over 3 billion times on TikTok—and dermatologists say it's a strategy worth trying.The term "skin cycling" is all about taking a cyclical approach to your facial skincare routine.
Get ready for a plumper, perkier-looking neckline
Meet our new luscious neck cream featuring our proprietary elasticizing bioactive plant blend that targets lines and texture, so your neckline appears smoother, renewed & 10 years younger looking!
TRENDING MAKEUP HACK: BLUSH & BRONZER AS EYESHADOW
By selecting shades that complement each other, you can achieve a harmonious and polished makeup look without the need for multiple products.
5 signs you need more electrolytes
Electrolytes help with hydration by ensuring the body can actually absorb and use the water you drink—preventing dehydration in the presence of sufficient water intake.
As you age, your body can become less capable of absorbing adequate amounts of some nutrients, including vitamin B-12. Studies indicate that about 40% of the U.S. population suffers from some sort of Vitamin B-12 deficiency, either because they are not eating the types of foods that provide B-12 or because they are unable to absorb enough of the vitamin through their intestines.
Like all of the B vitamins, Vitamin B-12 is a water-soluble vitamin, and that means that the body does not manufacture any of it on its own. The only way to get the vitamin is through the foods you eat. Unfortunately, as men and women get older, years of poor diet, consumption of alcohol, smoking, and diseases or illnesses might prevent the body from being able to absorb sufficient B-12.
What Does Vitamin B-12 Do in Your Body?
All of the B vitamins are crucial to the mechanisms of your body on a cellular level. If you are low on one or multiple B vitamins, chances are you will feel run down and tired (at the very least) as the B vitamins directly activate metabolic processes that allow you to gain energy from the foods you eat.
Vitamin B-12, in particular, acts like a key for a number of very important processes to take place that play vital roles in your energy levels, including red blood cell formation, proper nervous system function, DNA synthesis, and more.
There are four types of Vitamin B-12—three of which are critical to health maintenance:
- Methylcobalamin is the most active form of Vitamin B-12, the main key for cellular and metabolic processes. Methylcobalamin is the form of B-12 that you find naturally occurring in the foods you eat, and it is the most easily absorbed and utilized by your body.
- Hydroxocobalamin is another naturally occurring form of B–12 that is found in the foods you eat. This form of B-12 easily converts into methylcobalamin in the body. If you have a serious B-12 deficiency that requires B-12 injections, it will be hydroxocobalamin in the syringe. Fun fact: hydroxocobalamin is also used to counteract cyanide poisoning.
- Adenosylcobalamin is the least stable form of B-12 and occurs naturally in foods that have B-12.
Dietary Sources of B-12
Vitamin B-12 is available only through animal sources like beef, fowl, fish, dairy, and eggs. For this reason, vegans and vegetarians are more susceptible to B-12 deficiency and need to supplement with B-12—preferably with products that contain methylcobalamin. For those who have gut health problems and cannot easily digest animal products, B-12 deficiencies are also common.
How Is Vitamin B-12 Absorbed?
B-12 is absorbed through the intestines after your stomach produces a protein called intrinsic factor. If you don’t produce enough intrinsic factor, you may end up with a B-12 deficiency. Gut health, therefore, is crucial to your absorption rates of B-12. Antibiotics; chemical food additives like MSG; mercury poisoning from dental fillings, farmed fish and shellfish, and water; a diet high in refined flours, sugars, and fats; high alcohol consumption; smoking; and certain diseases or illnesses can all harm your gut health and reduce or prevent B-12 absorption.
Are You Low on Vitamin B-12?
With 40% of the population suffering from some degree of B-12 deficiency, chances are you or someone you know needs a B-12 boost. The National Health and Nutritional Health Examination Survey estimates that 3.2% of people over 50 suffer from a seriously low level of B-12, while 20% of people 50 and older are borderline deficient!
Deficiency symptoms can range from fatigue and weakness to serious depression, memory loss, loss of smell or taste, pins and needles in the arms and legs, and more.
Supplementing with Vitamin B-12
As we’ve discussed above, the preferred form of Vitamin B-12 is methylcobalamin. For those over 50—and especially for those 50 or older who are vegetarian or vegan—a liquid methylcobalamin supplement that you drop under the tongue is the most effective. Remember that the B vitamins work most effectively when they work together, so you need to be getting all your B vitamins every day.
Remember also that any good quality supplements only benefit you if you are also eating a well-balanced diet and avoiding sugar and junk foods.