Five micronutrients—vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin E, magnesium, and zinc—play roles in maintaining immune function

Five micronutrients—vitamin B_6, vitamin C, vitamin E, magnesium, and zinc—play roles in maintaining immune function, and supplements containing them are often sold as immune boosters in doses that greatly exceed the recommended daily allowance. However, there is no evidence that such supplements have more benefits than merely following a healthy diet. Rather than popping pills to get these micronutrients, you're wiser to use various foods to boost your immune system.

Foods to boost your immune system

Micronutrient

Food sources

Vitamin B₆

Chicken, cereals, bananas, pork loin, potatoes with skin

Vitamin C

Tomatoes, citrus fruit, sweet peppers, broccoli, kiwi fruit

Vitamin E

Sunflower seeds and oil, almonds, safflower oil, peanut butter

Magnesium

Whole wheat, legumes, nuts, seeds

Zinc

Oysters, beef shank, Alaskan king crab, turkey (dark meat)

– By Beverly Merz
Executive Editor, Harvard Women's Health Watch

Image: © Jennifer Pitiquen | Dreamstime.com

Info source : https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/micronutrients-have-major-impact-on-health

Amazon Best Seller: Doctor's Best High Absorption Magnesium Dietary Supplement, 200 mg per 2 tablets, 240 Tablets

Doctor's Best High Absorption Magnesium Dietary Supplement, 200 mg per 2 tablets, 240 Tablets

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About the productDoctor's Best High Absorption Magnesium supports bone density, helps maintain a normal, regular heartbeat and supports overall cardiovascular healthMade with TRAACS, a patented, form of bioavailable magnesium that is chelated to optimize bioavailabilityAs many as 75% of Americans are deficient in magnesium and magnesium deficiency increases with ageDoctor's Best High Absorption Magnesium is "not buffered", a term meaning that is it not mixed with less expensive and less absorbable magnesium oxideVegan, Non-GMO, and Gluten Free

Why We’re All Deficient In Magnesium, The Many Signs & What To Do | Collective-Evolution -

http://www.collective-evolution.com/2015/03/25/why-were-all-deficient-in-magnesium-the-many-signs-what-to-do/

Load up on magnesium too boost your energy

http://healthyliving.msn.com/health-wellness/10-ways-to-boost-your-energy-naturally#7

Load up on magnesium

"Magnesium is critical for more than 300 energy reactions in the body," Teitelbaum says. "But most Americans are magnesium deficient, which can cause fatigue, muscle pain or anxiety." Try to work more magnesium into your diet. Teitelbaum says almonds are especially high in this mineral; green, leafy vegetables have a lot, too.

Green Juice : The ultimate energy booster

Green Juice 

The ultimate energy booster. Green vegetable juices are loaded with antioxidants, phytonutrients, chlorophyll, magnesium, and potassium. No digestion is needed so your cells instantly gobble up these nutrients making you feel energized and alive.

Make sure the green juice is from vegetables and is not a fruit juice disguised as a green juice. Aim to keep the carbohydrate content below 20 grams. Above this and the juice is too sugary and may cause blood sugar fluctuations and energy drops.

Info source: https://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/7-snacks-instant-energy-boost-051600725.html

Magnesium to fight headache, fatigue and stress: Spinach

Magnesium to fight headache, fatigue and stress: Spinach, 

Too little magnesium may trigger headaches and fatigue, compounding the effects of stress. 

One cup of spinach helps you stock back up on magnesium. 

Don't like spinach? Other green, leafy vegetables are good magnesium sources. 

Or try some cooked soybeans or a fillet of salmon, also high in magnesium.

http://www.m.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-diet-for-stress-management

Anxiety and deficiencies of nutrients in your foods

Info source: 

http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/help-information/mental-health-a-z/D/nutrients-table/

====================================

Are you experiencing…?	Your diet may lack	Foods which contain these nutrients
Anxiety	Folic Acid	Veg: spinach, lettuce, asparagus, beetroot, savoy cabbage, bok choi, broccoli, green peas, fresh parsley, brussels sprouts, avocados, cauliflower Fish: cod, tuna, salmon, halibut, shrimp Meat: calf's liver, turkey Nuts and seeds:peanuts, sesame seeds, hazelnuts, cashews, walnuts Beans and pulses:lentils, chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans Fruit: oranges
	Magnesium	Veg: spinach, watercress, avocado, peppers, broccoli, brussels sprouts, green cabbage, watercress Nuts and seeds:almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, peanuts, macadamias, pistachios, walnuts, pecan, pumpkin, sunflower and poppy seeds Wholegrains: oatmeal, bran, long grain rice, buckwheat, barley, quinoa Dairy: plain yoghurt Beans and pulses:baked beans Fruit: banana, kiwi, blackberries, strawberries, oranges, raisins Sweet: chocolate

Mental health: Nutrients that can help your mental health and the foodsthat contain them.

Nutrients table: Wanted: the types of nutrients that can help your mental health and the foods that contain them.

Please visit http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/help-information/mental-health-a-z/D/nutrients-table/

7 Missing Nutrients in Your Diet: WebMD Slideshow

7 Missing Nutrients in Your Diet: WebMD Slideshow

http://www.m.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/lifestyle-guide-12/slideshow-missing-nutrients?ecd=wnl_wmh_032514&ctr=wnl-wmh-032514_ld-stry_2&mb=GULHw1r0yczQttMGkoWNR%40HnVev1imbCX2R%2fDNcXcrE%3d


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Alkaline diets may result in a number of health benefits

Alkaline diets may result in a number of health benefits as outlined below:

1. Increased fruits and vegetables in an alkaline diet would improve the K/Na ratio and may benefit bone health, reduce muscle wasting, as well as mitigate other chronic diseases such as hypertension and strokes.

2. The resultant increase in growth hormone with an alkaline diet may improve many outcomes from cardiovascular health to memory and cognition.

3. An increase in intracellular magnesium, which is required for the function of many enzyme systems, is another added benefit of the alkaline diet. 
Available magnesium, which is required to activate vitamin D, would result in numerous added benefits in the vitamin D apocrine/exocrine systems.

4. Alkalinity may result in added benefit for some chemotherapeutic agents that require a higher pH.

From the evidence outlined above, it would be prudent to consider an alkaline diet to reduce morbidity and mortality of chronic disease that are plaguing our aging population. One of the first considerations in an alkaline diet, which includes more fruits and vegetables, is to know what type of soil they were grown in since this may significantly influence the mineral content. At this time, there are limited scientific studies in this area, and many more studies are indicated in regards to muscle effects, growth hormone, and interaction with vitamin D.

The above has been extracted from Info source: 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3195546/

Dietary intakes of antioxidants (β-carotene and vitamins C and E) and magnesium are associated with lower risks of hearing loss.

Info source:  

http://m.ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2013/11/06/ajcn.113.068437

Dietary intakes of antioxidants and magnesium are associated with lower risks of hearing loss.

Magnesium for Preventing Noise-induced Hearing Loss

http://www.med.nyu.edu/content?ChunkIID=38739

Long-term exposure to loud sounds, such as gunfire or rock music, can cause permanent hearing loss. A 2-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 300 military recruits found daily supplementation with magnesium helped protect the ear from noise-induced damage. ¹ The dosage used in this study was quite small—only 167 milligrams (mg) of magnesium daily—but tests showed that even this amount was sufficient to raise magnesium levels inside cells and apparently protect the ear from damage. Soldiers who received the magnesium were less likely to experience permanent hearing damage than those in the placebo group, and when they did experience hearing damage, it was less severe.

It is not clear how magnesium might protect hearing. Studies in animals suggest that magnesium deficiency can increase the stress on cells involved with hearing and thereby make them more susceptible to damage caused by intense noise. ¹ However, human magnesium deficiency is believed to be rare, so it is possible that supplemental magnesium acts in some entirely different way.

What foods provide magnesium?

What foods provide magnesium?

Info sources:

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/

What foods provide magnesium?

Green vegetables such as spinach are good sources of magnesium because the center of the chlorophyll molecule (which gives green vegetables their color) contains magnesium. 

Some legumes (beans and peas), nuts and seeds, and whole, unrefined grains are also good sources of magnesium . Refined grains are generally low in magnesium When white flour is refined and processed, the magnesium-rich germ and bran are removed.

 Bread made from whole grain wheat flour provides more magnesium than bread made from white refined flour. Tap water can be a source of magnesium, but the amount varies according to the water supply.

Water that naturally contains more minerals is described as "hard". "Hard" water contains more magnesium than "soft" water.

Eating a wide variety of legumes, nuts, whole grains, and vegetables will help you meet your daily dietary need for magnesium. 

What you should know about magnesium

What you should know about magnesium

Info source:  "Healthbeat" dated 6 July 2013, a newsletter of Harvard  Medical  School. (healthbeat@mail.health.harvard.edu)

Your body needs magnesium for many tasks. It’s involved in more than 300 chemical reactions in the body. Muscles need this mineral to contract, nerves need it to send and receive messages. It keeps your heart beating steadily and your immune system strong. Most people get enough magnesium from foods such as green leafy vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, and fish.

Magnesium supplements are sometimes marketed as super pills that can fix a long list of ailments such as muscle tension, low energy, and trouble sleeping. But think twice before you reach for a magnesium supplement.

According to the National Institutes of Health, most older adults in the United States don’t get the proper amount of magnesium in their diets. 

But Dr. Bruce Bistrian, chief of clinical nutrition at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, says magnesium deficiency is very rare. “The kidney has an extraordinary ability to reduce magnesium loss in urine, and thus achieve magnesium balance on a wide variety of intakes,” he explains.

For people who have trouble absorbing magnesium from food — such as those with celiac disease, kidney problems, alcoholism, or chronic digestive problems — supplements can be useful. 

Medicines (including some “water pills” and antibiotics) can also interfere with magnesium absorption, making a supplement necessary.

But what about the claims that magnesium supplements can improve energy, sleep cycles, and body aches? Dr. Bistrian is skeptical. “There’s no evidence to my knowledge that it would be effective for those symptoms,” he says.

If you’re concerned about low magnesium, ask your doctor for a blood test. 

To maintain a healthy magnesium level, it’s best to get the mineral from food, especially high-fiber foods including dark, green leafy vegetables, unrefined grains, and beans. 

The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of magnesium from food is 420 milligrams (mg) per day for men ages 50 and older. 

The RDA for magnesium from supplement is lower: 350 mg per day for men and women.

Top food sources of magnesium (by whfoods.com.com

Info source: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=75

Phytic acid

Today (2013-05-30), for the first time I ca e across the term "Phytic acid". I need to learn on "Phytic acid"

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytic_acid

 
Phytic acid (known as inositol hexakisphosphate (IP6), or phytate when in salt form), discovered in 1903,^[1] is the principal storage form of phosphorus in many plant tissues, especially bran and seeds.^[2] Phytate is not digestible to humans or nonruminant animals, so it is not a source of either inositol or phosphate if eaten directly. Moreover, phytic acid chelates and thus makes unabsorbable certain important minor minerals such as zinc and iron, and to a lesser extent, also macro minerals such as calcium and magnesium; phytin refers specifically to the calcium or magnesium salt form of phytic acid.

For more details, please visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytic_acid