Taking Responsibility For Your Health

When I speak with people on the topic of health the subject of ‘responsibility’ inevitably comes up. So I put some thought into why this might be, and a key point kept coming to mind. First, I noticed that most people that do not accept responsibility for their own health usually if not always are blaming others and things outside of themselves for their ill bodily conditions.

Saying for example, ‘oh I always get sick this time of year, or that person made me sick’ etc. What I am saying is if you can change your lifestyle gradually to a healthier one as well as having a healthier mindset, you don’t have to get sick every year if you really do not want to. Most of us program ourselves to get sick and we don’t even realize we are doing it.

We see a person sneezing and coughing, our first thought is ‘uh oh, I hope I don’t catch what he has’, or we see ads on television that the flu season is upon us and we think, ‘well I’ll probably catch the flu this year sooner or later’. So in addition to acting healthier – exercising, eating healthier – eliminating junk food and fast food, we can be thinking healthier, and a good place to start is taking responsibility for our health, whether we are sick or feeling great.

When was the last time you felt great and you said to yourself something along the lines of ‘gee I feel so good because of me, because of who I am and what I do.’ Well if you do say things like this to yourself then congratulations because most people do not give themselves enough credit for feeling good and doing their best to lead a healthier lifestyle. So what I am saying in effect is that it works both ways, you can create your own health circumstances in life or you can act as a victim and be a slave to them.

Once we begin to actively and consciously take credit for the good, as well as the bad health circumstances we encounter in our lives, we will begin to notice that it’s up to us to how well we would like to feel and not so much on the outside world we thought that controls us. A great question to ask yourself everyday is: how did I bring this into my life? You correct examine your thought processes, correct your thinking and move on.

This is much more powerful than you may think, but of course prove it to yourself. We can consciously choose to enhance our well-being and health through adding a healthy exercise regimen to our daily routine for example. This will give both your body and mind a boost and you can easily thank yourself and praise yourself from the high, glowing feeling you get after a great workout, whether it be with weights, calisthenics, yoga, pilates, martial arts, etc., you get my point.

Doing healthier activities compound over time and become cumulative. In the case that you do get sick even though you are taking supplements to enhance your immune system, exercising regularly and eating healthy… don’t beat yourself up. Accept that you allowed yourself to be sick and no else. Then make up your mind to get healthier and become better faster than ever before. Don’t get negative, and you will see that overtime you will stay healthier for longer and longer periods until you do not get sick anymore.

Yes it is possible to be healthy all year around, you just need to accept that it is possible. I personally do not remember the last time I got sick or went to see a doctor for that matter. By accepting responsibility for my health and everything that happens to me in my life, I am able to stay healthy and feel great. Of course my daily activities, internal exercises, food and vitamin/supplement intake and mindset have everything to do with this.

Taking a Vitamin Supplement

There are a number of essential vitamins that the body needs to function properly and it is possible to take these in the form of a vitamin supplement.  The majority of people do not have a balanced diet and they may be lacking in certain vitamins which means that they require a vitamin supplement to ensure that they do not have a deficiency of an essential vitamin.

A health professional or dietary technician is the best person to give advice on any vitamin supplement that a person should take. It is important to seek professional advice before taking any vitamin supplement. This is because there are some vitamins that can be toxic if too much is consumed and a vitamin supplement may not be appropriate if there is enough of the vitamin already in the food a person eats.

Some categories of people may require more types of vitamin supplement than others. Vegetarians are often deficient in certain vitamins that are only found in animal products, for example, and a vitamin supplement is the ideal solution to this problem. Vegetarians do need to be aware that some vitamin supplement manufacturing processes involve animal products and it is important for them to read the labels. A large number of synthetic vitamin supplement products are available which will enable a vegetarian to take them without contravening their dietary beliefs or needs.

Children will often need a vitamin supplement, especially when they are extremely young. This is because a lot of children do not eat a sufficient variety of foods in their early years and a vitamin supplement can help compensate for this natural deficiency. Breast feeding has long been recommended as a source of all the essential nutrients but women who choose not to or are unable to bottle feed may be concerned as to whether their baby needs a vitamin supplement.

The large majority of baby milk formulas contain additional vitamins to prevent the need for a vitamin supplement to be given. It is important to discuss any concerns over the need for a baby or child to take a vitamin supplement with a health professional to ensure that the correct solution is found.

Elderly people or those suffering from certain diseases or illnesses are other groups of people that may need to take a vitamin supplement. The body may often need a vitamin supplement to compensate for a person not being able to consume the recommended daily allowance of certain vitamins through their normal diet.

Greatest Vitamin Sources

There is a lot of debate as to what the greatest vitamin actually is. Each vitamin has its own essential functions that contribute to a person’s general health and well-being.  It is impossible to actually state that one of these is the greatest vitamin. However there are a number of foods that provide the greatest vitamin quantities.

The greatest vitamin sources vary for each vitamin. It is important to have a balanced diet to ensure that the required amounts of each vitamin are obtained. However, it may be useful to list the greatest vitamin sources for each vitamin to be used as a guide.

* Greatest vitamin A sources are milk, eggs, butter, yellow fruits & vegetables, dark green fruits & vegetables, liver

* Greatest vitamin B1 sources are brewer’s yeast, whole grains, blackstrap molasses, brown rice, organ meats, egg yolk

* Greatest vitamin B2 sources are brewer’s yeast, whole grains, legumes, nuts, organ meats, blackstrap molasses

* Greatest vitamin B3 sources are lean meats, poultry & fish, brewer’s yeast, peanuts, milk, rice bran, potatoes

* Greatest vitamin B4 sources are egg yolks, organ meats, brewer’s yeast, wheat germ, soybeans, fish, legumes

* Greatest vitamin B5 sources are organ meats, egg yolks, legumes, whole grains, wheat germ, salmon, brewer’s yeast

* Greatest vitamin B6 sources are meats, whole grains, organ meats brewer’s yeast, blackstrap molasses, wheat germ

* Greatest vitamin B7 sources are egg yolks, liver, unpolished rice, brewer’s yeast, sardines, legumes, whole grains

* Greatest vitamin B8 sources are who1e grains, citrus fruits, molasses, meat, milk, nuts, vegetables, brewer’s yeast

* Greatest vitamin B9 sources are dark-green leafy vegetables, organ meats, root vegetables, oysters, salmon, milk

* Greatest vitamin B12 sources are organ meats, fish, pork, eggs, cheese, milk, lamb, bananas, kelp, peanuts

* Greatest vitamin B13 sources are root vegetables, liquid whey

* Greatest vitamin B15 sources are brewer’s yeast, rare steaks, brown rice, sunflower, pumpkin & sesame seeds

* Greatest vitamin B17 sources are whole kernels of apricots, apples, cherries, peaches, plums

* Greatest vitamin C sources are citrus, cabbage family, chilli peppers, berries, melons, asparagus, rose hips

* Greatest vitamin D sources are salmon, sardines, herring, milk, egg yolk, organ meats, sprouted seeds, sunflower seeds

* Greatest vitamin E sources are cold-pressed oils, eggs, wheat germ, organ meats, molasses, sweet potatoes, nuts

* Greatest vitamin F sources are vegetable oils, butter, sunflower seeds

* Greatest vitamin K sources are green leafy vegetables, egg yolks, safflower oil, blackstrap molasses, cauliflower

* Greatest vitamin Q sources are pinto beans, legumes, soybeans

* Greatest vitamin T sources are sesame seeds, raw seeds, butter, egg yolk

* Greatest vitamin V sources are raw cabbage, sauerkraut, leafy vegetables