Making sense of slimming

More and more reports are telling us that obesity is one of the biggest problems our society faces today.  Obesity negatively affects our health in so many ways.  It aids in keeping blood pressure high, has a negative affect on diabetes, and puts a severe strain on our health.

People like you and me have for years searched the drugstore shelves for that magic pill that will help us lose weight, reduce our appetite and provide a much needed energy boost. Products such as Carb blockers and Hoodia receive massive advertising exposure with the promise of a quick fix for our weight problems.

Metabolism is an important part of losing weight and controlling hunger, and calorie burning.  Vitamins may be the answer for those who are not interested in taking over-the-counter pills.  Over-the-counter creations could cause an increased heart rate, skittishness, and sleeplessness.  Your body can become used to the drugs and adapt to them.  Sometimes the pills lose their effectiveness and there is no clear proof that they will not damage your heart.

Taking the right vitamins can have a significant impact on weight loss and control. Getting the proper nutrients is so essential to our health and our body will always work better when we are healthy. It is not easy to pick out what are perfect vitamins for losing weight, however there are a few that do play an important role in controlling appetite, the metabolism of sugars and fats and the burning of calories.

Without doubt, two of the most important vitamins you should take for weight control are vitamin B and vitamin C. In addition to being beneficial for all over health, they both play a major role in assisting weight control.

The riboflavin vitamin B2 plays an important part in the function of the thyroid and body metabolism. Vitamin B2 can be found in milk products, leafy green vegatables, liver and kidneys, hard cheese, eggs and almonds.

Niacin, which is the B3 vitamin, is also important for thyroid function.  It is also important for controlling the glucose toleration.  Every time blood sugar rises we need vitamin B3.  Foods that are sources for this vitamin are tuna, turkey, chicken, meat, eggs, some fish, dried fruit and brown rice.  Oats and wheat flakes are also good sources of niacin.

Important for maintaining our energy levels and for helping with the function of our adrenal gland is vitamin B5, which also aids in the body’s use of fat. We find vitamin B5 in wheat germ, wheat bran, and wheat flakes. Also, green vegetables, beans, molasses, eggs, barley and oats provide us with a good source of this essential vitamin.

B6 vitamins are important for the body’s metabolism and thyroid function, these vitamins include Inositol and Choline. Choline is particularly important in the metabolism of fat. Choline is found in peanuts, beef organs, wheat germ and egg yolks. Inositol can be found in nuts, eggs, whole grains and citrus fruits whilst good sources of vitamin B6 are dried fruits, fish, eggs, beef and poultry.

Vitamin C, perhaps the best known vitamin provides us with many benefits, not all related to weight control, however one important job it does in helping us keep our weight in check is to turn the glucose in our body into energy. Vitamin C is found naturally in many fruits such as oranges, lemons, blackcurrents, strawberries and also in green vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli and brussel sprouts.

If, you make sure that you eat, as part of a balanced diet, as many of the foods I have discussed as possible, you will be significantly increasing your body’s ability to keep your weight under control. As always, moderation is the keyword and it is far better to eat a variety of these vitamin rich foods rather than to focu on just a few.

Eating natural foods is always going to be the best option in getting valuable, weight controlling, vitamins into our body. However, with busy lifestyles this is not always going to be possible. If there are certain foods you do not like please make sure that you top up your diet by taking a good quality vitamin supplement.