VITAMINS AND MINERALS FOR WEIGHT LOSS

 

Your body needs a certain amount of essential vitamins and minerals to function properly. Several vitamins play a key role in metabolism. Specific vitamins and minerals can actually help to flip an internal switch that signals cells throughout your body to burn more calories, wasting many of those calories as heat. Without these important nutrients, the opposite happens. Your body holds onto fat. Your metabolism slows and your weight-loss efforts become an exercise in futility. Some vitamins and minerals are more crucial in weight loss than others. Many of the vitamins which support metabolism and weight loss are water-soluble. This means that they are not stored in great quantities in the body. Therefore, to get the greatest benefit of vitamins and minerals for weight loss, you must be sure to eat a daily balanced diet that includes plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. 

Taking vitamin and mineral supplements in addition to a balanced daily diet can give your body the nutritional support it needs for optimal metabolism. It is essential to follow the suggested usage guidelines for vitamin and mineral supplements. Large amounts of any nutrient can potentially cause negative health impacts. In addition, some vitamins and minerals supplement may have adverse drug interactions. For example, you may increase your risk of bleeding if you take vitamin A while on blood-thinners.  If you have a thyroid problem, taking Iodine can be extremely harmful especially if you already are taking thyroid medicine. Consult your doctor before adding any nutritional supplement to your diet. Reliable access to vitamins and minerals could perhaps mean decreased hunger levels and decreased cravings, thereby promoting weight loss. The most important natural sources of vitamins and minerals that can help a person lose weight more quickly and effectively are highlighted below.

ESSENTIAL VITAMINS FOR WEIGHT LOSS

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is also known as ascorbic acid. It is a water-soluble vitamin with an antioxidant function in your body. This simple and well-known nutrient has been shown to play an important role in boosting weight loss and metabolism. Researchers are finding that vegetables and fruits rich in vitamin C can increase your fat burning rate during exercise. This helps the body to convert glucose into energy, and stops it from being stored in your body. If you are using juicing recipes for weight loss, you may find that your results improve drastically if you include more foods high in vitamin C. If you have been struggling to lose weight consistently in spite of exercising, you could try adding more foods high in vitamin C.

Natural Sources of Vitamin C

Fruits that are pack with vitamin C are: Cantaloupe, Plums, Black Currant, Kiwi, Orange, Melon, Berries, Banana, Avocado, Guava and Citrus Fruits. And vegetables are Tomatoes, Potatoes, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, Red and Green Bell Peppers, Cabbage, and Spinach. Sweet Red peppers have more than three times the vitamin C of Orange juice.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D may lead to weight loss. Studies show that Vitamin D helps in increasing the body’s sensitivity to insulin. One of insulin’s jobs is to help glucose get into body cells, which burn glucose for energy. How well insulin pushes glucose into cells is called "insulin sensitivity."The more sensitive your cells are to insulin, the better. The less sensitive they are to insulin, the more likely the calories you eat will end up in your fat cells. When levels of Vitamin D are low, levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH) rise. Higher than normal levels of PTH trigger a series of reactions that eventually leads to fat cells converting sugar into fat and hoarding fat rather than releasing it to be burned. Studies have shown that those that are deficient in Vitamin D are more likely to gain weight. A lack of vitamin D may also interfere with leptin, a hormone that signals your brain to stop eating. Your body doesn't know when it's full, so you continue to eat.

Natural Sources of Vitamin D

Vitamin D is not available in as many foods as other antioxidant vitamins. You can get vitamin D from two natural sources: through the skin, and from the diet. Natural sources include saltwater and fatty fish, such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines and fish liver oil. Other sources are shrimps, liver, egg yolks, cheese, soy and rice beverages, fortified orange juice, margarine and milk with vitamin D.

Vitamin D is sometimes called the sunshine vitamin because your body produces a critical form of vitamin D -- vitamin D3 -- when your skin is exposed to sunlight. Ultraviolet radiation from the sun stimulates production of vitamin D in human skin, and just a few minutes (15 minutes a day is generally enough) of exposure to sunlight each day (without sunscreen) will insure your body is producing adequate amounts of vitamin D.

B Vitamins

One of the best vitamins for weight loss is vitamin B. Vitamin B is a group of eleven vitamins that work together All these B Vitamins that you get in a complex: B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, and B12 keep your metabolism running (very important for weight loss) and ensure a healthy thyroid. There are plenty of ways that these vitamins help the body in all of its processes, and a lack of them will trip up your weight loss efforts. Some of the best sources of vitamin B are

Natural Sources of Vitamin B complex

Vitamin B complex can be found in many food groups which include green and leafy vegetables, dairy products, fresh fruits, and certain meats. Therefore, foods containing Vitamin B complex are brewer’s yeast, milk, whole grain cereals, liver, eggs, nuts, poultry, fish and yogurt, bananas, potatoes, beans, lentils, and chili peppers to name a few.

Given below is a list of the different foods containing Vitamin B complex:

• B 1 (Thiamin): Beans, liver, wheat germ, fish, peanuts and oranges
• B 2 (Riboflavin): Green and leafy veggies, dairy products, nuts, beans and meat
• B 3 (Niacin): Nuts, meat, dairy products, beans and peanuts
• B 5 (Pantothenic Acid): Beans, liver and meat
• B 6 (Pyridoxine):  Beans, meat and peanuts
• B 7 (Biotin): Clams, liver, eggs and milk
• B 9 (Folic Acid): Vegetables that are leafy & dark green in color, beans, liver & oranges
• B 12 (Cobalamin): Eggs, meat & dairy products such as milk, yogurt & cheese

ESSENTIAL MINERALS FOR WEIGHT LOSS

Chromium

Chromium is a trace mineral that aids in weight loss by helping the body break down fats and carbohydrates. It also helps to control levels of fat and cholesterol in the blood. Chromium is needed for the metabolism of sugar and without it insulin is less effective in controlling blood sugar levels. This means that it is harder to burn off your food as fuel and more may be stored as fat. Without chromium, the body finds it difficult to burn off excess fats and turn them into energy. As a result, the excess fats are stored in the body and the person gains weight.

Natural Sources of Chromium

Chromium is found in some cereals and grains like green beans, barley, and oats. One of the best food sources of chromium is Broccoli. Turkey, Fish, Grape juice, Nuts, Tomatoes, Romaine lettuce, Egg yolk, Brewer's yeast, Beef, Cheese, Liver, Wine, Bread, whole meal, wheat, Black pepper, Rye bread, Chilli fresh, Apple peel, Potatoes, old, Oysters, Potatoes, new, Margarine, Spaghetti, Cornflakes, Spirits, Butter, Spinach, Egg white, Oranges, Beer, Garlic, Basil, and mushrooms are also good sources.

Zinc

Zinc has too many weight loss properties that can’t be overlooked. This is an important mineral in appetite control and a deficiency can cause a loss of taste and smell, creating a need for stronger tasting foods (which tend to be sweeter, saltier and more fattening!) In the beginning of your weight loss program, this mineral is of great help if you have a slow metabolism. This alone will help with everything else you’re doing to lose weight. Zinc is an essential mineral that helps the body absorb and convert Vitamin A. it also functions with vitamins A and E to manufacture the thyroid hormones responsible for maintaining your healthy weight. No need to buy it in supplement form unless you aren’t getting enough from zinc-containing foods,

Natural Sources of Zinc

Best food sources of zinc include oysters, Dungeness crab, and other seafood, red meat like beef, poultry as turkey, eggs, but vegetarians can get zinc from soy beans, grains, black-eyed peas, wheat germ, fortified cereals, nuts, almonds, peanuts, chickpeas, soy foods tofu, and dairy products.

Magnesium

Magnesium is an essential mineral to human health and for healthy weight loss, magnesium is necessary for every major biological function (over 300 biochemical functions) in the body, including your heartbeat. Magnesium supplementation is useful to treat the muscle cramps that people get when they’re trying to lose weight. It helps muscles and nerves function properly, maintains bone strength, and helps the body create energy and make proteins. It also seems to curb sweet cravings and works with calcium in muscle contraction. It is also required for the formation of ATP, the energy currency of the human body. Magnesium is required by every cell to function. Many metabolic reactions depend upon this mineral. Magnesium can give you a better metabolism, better digestion, and an in-sync melody of the vitamins and minerals within can help you reach your weight loss goals a bit quicker and safer.

Natural Sources of Magnesium

Leafy green vegetables such as spinach and broccoli, almonds, Brazil nuts, peanuts, hazelnuts, cashews, sunflower seeds and other seeds, halibut, shrimp, whole-wheat bread, milk, Whole grain products, lima beans, black-eyed peas, soybeans, legumes, avocados, bananas, and kiwifruit.

Calcium

Being active is important in keeping up bone strength, Calcium is important for keeping your bones healthy but this mineral may also help you lose fat while preserving muscle. Calcium is a mineral that works in tandem with D to help you shed fat. Calcium is stored in fat cells, and researchers think that the more calcium a fat cell has, the more fat that cell will release to be burned. Calcium also promotes weight loss by binding to fat in your GI tract, preventing some of it from getting absorbed into your bloodstream. Researchers who have found a connection between calcium and weight loss hypothesize that dietary calcium might play a role in the breakdown and storage of fat.

Natural Sources of Calcium

Dairy products such as milk, cheese, and yogurt – low-fat ones are best, and it doesn't matter if they come from cows or other animals, for example goats, skimmed and semi-skimmed milk contains more calcium than full-fat milk. Fortified products such as cereals, oats, orange juice, tofu and soya milk. Fish with the bones such as tinned sardines and salmon. Calcium is found in some nuts, seeds and dried fruits. Calcium is present in leafy green vegetables watercress, beans and chickpeas, some dark green leafy vegetables especially spinach, rhubarb, turnip and mustard greens, kale, Chinese cabbage, and broccoli.

Iodine

Iodine works to make thyroid hormones which in turn helps to regulate how your body functions and will help you lose weight when it’s working properly. Add Iodine to your diet to stimulate the thyroid and promote a healthier, faster metabolism.  If your thyroid is out of whack, you’ll have a tougher time slimming down because your metabolism will also be out of line, and you’ll retain more water. Your thyroid needs certain levels of iodine in order to do its job, so a deficiency in this area will lead to poor performance. It’s not a matter of beefing up your levels of iodine, but filling in a deficiency if one exists.

Natural Sources of  Iodine

The best source of Iodine is in Sea-Kelp, which is commonly available other good sources are Iodized salt, processed foods, seafood and seaweed.