Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Nutrition Time!

I think of myself as a relatively smart woman when it comes to nutrition. I've been a vegetarian and regular exerciser for years. I walk, I run, I practice yoga, blah, blah, blah. But it wasn't until I saw Dr. Oz recently on Oprah that I realized I was missing the boat in the vitamin department. Since I take a multivitamin for women, I assumed I was getting what I needed. Not so! Here is what we all need, simply put:
  • 1200 mg. calcium
  • 600 mg. magnesium (to make the calcium work, who new?)
  • a good all-around womens multi vitamin
  • fish oil (I take 3 a day, with each meal)
The best way to stay on top of this is to get one of those weekly pill dispensers (get one large enough!) and keep it near your toothbrush. That way you'll remember to space things out throughout the day. As a woman in my mid 30's, I realize NOW is the time to really take care of my bones through vitamins and strength training.

One more bit: only 25% of Americans get enough fiber, which is 25 grams a day. Want to knock this out in one meal? 1 cup of FIBER ONE cereal gives you 24 grams! One bowl! I eat one daily with fruit. It's so much better than the bran and fiber cereals of the past. Give it a try!

If you're reading this, you're someone I care about, so start taking the best care of yourself today!

1 comment:

karingebhardt said...

Hey girl, love this one. I could actually write a book about vitamins and supplements. but i wanted to add that Flaxseed can give you also a lot of the Omega 3 Fatty Acids your body needs.