Vitamins and supplements

Dr. Weil rcommends his own vitamin supplements (big surprise).

His recommended supplements include:

• multivitamin (vitamin E, coenzyme Q 10, vitamin A, astaxanthin, zeaxanthin, lutein, lycopene, phytoene, phytofluene, b-complex, folic acid, bioflavonoids, choline, inositol, and rutin);
• omega-3 fatty acids (breast issues, heart);
• vitamin C (environmental);
• glucosamine sulfate (joints);
• horse chestnut seed (aescin; supposed to help increase the tone of the blood vessel walls and may possibly help reduce edema; 40-120 mg daily);
• siberian ginseng, cordyceps (a fungus), ashwaganda for energy;
• astragalus, polypore mushrooms for immune support;
• magnesium (prevents migraines);
• st. johns wort, B6 and folic acid for mood;
• gingko biloba and DHA (an omega-3 fatty acid) for brain function;
• Ester-C for circulation;
• evening primrose for PMS support.

(struck items are not items I’m willing to take at this time — both st. johns wort and gingko biloba gave me unpleasant reactions the last time I tried to take them, ester C is a type of vitamin C, and mushrooms just ain’t gonna happen even in pill form)

Supplements I currently have on-hand and could/should be taking:

• flax seed (1000 mg per capsule; cold pressed, certified organic; a-Linolenic acid or ALA and linoleic acid, an omega-6);
• wild salmon and fish oils (1000 mg per capsule);
• evening primrose (500 mg per capsule);  
• multivitamin, natural source (beta carotene 10000 IU, vitamin A 1000 IU, vitamin E 50 IU, vitamin C 150 mg, folic acid .8 mg, vitamin B1 or thiamine 25 mg, vitamin B2 or riboflavin 25 mg, vitamin B6 or pyridoxine 25 mg, vitamin B12 25 mcg, vitamin D 400 IU, biotin 25 mcg, pantothenic acid 25 mg, choline 25 mg, inositol 25 mg, di-methonine 25 mg, calcium 130 mg, iodine .1 mg, iron 15 mg, magnesium 65 mg, copper 1 mg, manganese 2 mg, potassium 15 mg, zinc 10 mg, chromium 20 mcg, molybdenum 20 mcg, selenium 20 mcg, vanadium 20 mcg, lutein .25 mg) ;
• glucosamine and chondroitin;
• calcium (333mg), magnesium (167mg), vitamin D (133 IU);
• vitamin C (500mg), wild blueberry (30mg), rutin (1.4mg), hesperidin complex (1.4mg), lemon bioflavonoids (1.4mg), acerola cherry fruit (1.4mg), rosehips (1.4mg);
• B100;
• fibre

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Making a fresh start

Signed up tonight for Dr. Weil’s Optimum Health Plan. Could have just signed up again for eDiets but thought I’d give his plan a try since I like his books (despite not being able to follow his suggestions LOL). It’s an online companion to his 8 Weeks to Optimum Health book. It’s been republished since but I have a copy of the original version of the book. I’ve always wanted to try it but lack the self-control. It comes with a journal but think I’ll write here instead. I’ll keep that journal for private stuff. Having looked at the food section, I’m not liking it as much as the eDiets one — eDiets allows you to build custom menus by adding your own food items; this plan just offers you a collection of recipes with which to build your daily menus. But this plan has its own pros (mostly the advice stuff) so we’ll see.

So, this is week one, the so-called “Make a Fresh Start” week. Well, technically, it starts tomorrow since it is quite late tonight. I’ll work on the cleaning out tomorrow and maybe Tuesday and then the following day go to the store and get what I need.

PROJECT: This week’s project is to clean out the kitchen. *Gasp* I’m supposed to get rid of anything with artificial colouring, any oils but extra-virgin olive oi, anything containing partially hydrogenated oils and trans fats, any margarine or vegetable shortenings and anything made with them (e.g. crackers and cookies), anything made with cottonseed oil, artificial sweeteners, and more chemicals than recognizable ingredients.

Should also be aiming to keep total fat intake to about 30% of calories, saturated fat as low as possible, and zero trans fats. On a 2000-calorie-per-day paln, 600 calories (70 grams) can come from fat. No more than 100 calories (10-12 grams) should come from saturated fat.

DIET & EXERCISE: “Cruciferous vegetables and Omega-3 fatty acids; Antioxidants; Walking”

Cruciferous vegatables are things like broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. Supposed to be rich in fibre and cancer-fighting properties. Broccoli I can do. Cabbage I might be able to do. Cauliflower ain’t gonna happen. Not quite ready to start grinding up fresh flax seeds to use on my food so will concentrate instead on taking the flax seed and evening primrose supplements I have on hand. I’ll outline my supplements in another post.

So, this week, I’m to eat fresh broccoli twice (small amounts to start), sprinkled with lemon juice to help digestion. I’m also to eat fish at least once this week: wild Alaskan salmon, canned sockeye, sardines, or herring. Canned sockeye is not my fave (I much prefer Pacfici pink) but there’s a lot of it around so maybe I’ll try that. If not fish, then I should grind flaxseeds or sprinkle walnuts (yuck) on my food.

As far as exercise goes, I’m to try to walk 10 minutes a day for 5 days this week.

MENTAL & SPIRITUAL HEALTH: This week, I’m to become aware on my breathing, to practice Breath Observation for five minutes every day. I’m also to make a list of illnesses, injuries, etc. that I’ve recovered from in the past two years and note how I may have helped the healing process. And I’m to keep track of my mood (he has a tool online for that). I’m also to bring fresh flowers in and to educate myself about bad habits (and stop smoking if I smoke).

TIPS FOR ME FOR THIS WEEK:

• take a B-complex vitamin (100 mg of B6 and 400 mg of folic acid)
• increase activity levels
• for heart healt, try to exercise for 30 minutes a day, five days a week
• eat a well-balanced diet
• compile family medical history
• commit to a weight loss program
• commit to a diet high in fruits and vegetables and low-fat or fat-free dairy products (calcium) — diets rich in potassium, calcium, and magnesium and low in sodium help maintain blood pressure levels
• avoid trans fats