Fit FactorY: Brain Food

Whenever I hear of "brain food", I vividly remember my mother telling me to eat a bowl of hot peanut soup on the day before my exams, so I could get a higher score. I've always laughed when she suggested this, and dismissed the peanut thing as an urban myth probably conjured up by the marketing-fit peanut factory manufacturers so they could get more sales, but after researching on it further, the idea behind "brain food" seems to have some scientific backing after all.

Peanuts
Apparently, peanut is high in Vitamin B6, protein, and sugars that the brain needs. The good thing about peanuts is that they are virtually cholesterol free so you can munch on them with less guilt as compared to eating a bag of greasy potato chips.

Eggs
Speaking of Vitamin B, eggs are also a good source of Vitamin B, particularly Choline, which is said to enhance memory.

Fish
Studies have also been made, confirming that fish is a good brain food for boys. The omega-3 found in fish is what helps the brain develop better. Even more interesting to note is that pregnant women who eat fish tend to have more intelligent children. The study does not state why fish doesn't help women as much and I've been trying to scour Google for the answer but to no substantial avail.

Fit FactorY: Multivitamins - Are they just a load of crap?

I saw this very catchy, compelling article on yahoo entitled, "Are you Wasting Money on Multivitamins?" And this should compel you too if you're spending X dollars on multivitamins every single day of your life.

You can view it here:
http://health.yahoo.com/experts/healthnews/15053/are-you-wasting-money-on-multivitamins/

In a nutshell, the article states that:

1. Folic acid supplements are important for pregnancy
2. Vitamin D / Calcium supplements for older people or people with fractures
3. Vitamin C, E, Zinc for people with macular degeneration.
4. Multivitamins for those on a diet, vegans, heavy alcohol drinkers, and the malnourished / (un fit people)

The article goes on to conclude that if you eat healthy, then you don't need to take multivitamins. The question though, is this: How do you know if you're eating healthy? If you're eating enough?

Personally, since this article does not say anything bad about taking multivitamins, I'd continue taking them, just for good measure. It's too difficult to figure out if you're actually taking a proper diet.

Can you really never have enough Vitamin C?

My sister, who has no medical degree whatsoever, espouses the idea that you can never have too much Vitamin C. Any amount you take over the normal recommended dose, she says, will just make its way out of your body.

This isn't actually true.

An overdose of vitamin C, at the very least, may cause stomach problems - diarrhea, gas, stomach cramps. Sometimes, the effects can be a bit more serious - severe cramps, nausea, and risks for kidney stones. Again, a good way to stay fit is to make this line your mantra: "Anything in excess is bad".

What should be the recommended dose (RDA) for Vitamin C?

Here's the tricky part. Some say that the recommended Vitamin C dose on normal days is 200 - 500 mg for healthy people. For pregnant or lactating women, dose should be lowered to 75-95 mg per day. If you're feeling under the weather, upping the dosage to 1000 mg is fine.

Some, on the other hand, say that people can actually drink up to 25,000 mg of Vitamin C a day without any problems.

The Vitamin C foundation recommends taking at least 3 g of Vit. C a day, and then goes on to say that you should take even more Vit C when you're pregnant (up to 6 grams), and take up to 300,000 mg when you're sick.

This other article tried pushing the limit and said overdosing Vitamin C was fine for him.

It's rather perplexing to note that the RDA for Vitamin C is different, depending on the source and the category of people taking it:

60-95 mg = U.S. Recommended Intake
200 mg = Levin/NIH Recommendation
400 mg = Current Linus Pauling Institute Recommendation
2500 mg = Hickey/Roberts minimum
3000 mg = Vitamin C Foundation's daily recommendation
6000-12000 mg = Levy's daily recommendation
6000-18000 mg = Pauling's daily recommendation
6000-9000 mg = Pregnancy
6000-18000 mg = Heart Disease
14000-30000 mg = Cancer
20000-300000 mg = Cathcart/Levy Cure for Infectious Diseases

So while overdosing seems to be something that is generally not accepted, it seems that the real definition of an overdose in Vitamin C seems to be missing.

Unfortunately, I don't have the final answer to this question either. But, my personal preference would be the 200-500mg (healthy days) to 1000mg (under the weather days) dosage. For one thing, if everyone followed the 6000mg a day dosage, I think we'd be needing more than 1 new Vitamin C factory built everywhere.

How about you guys? How much Vitamin C do you take?

Chinese Herbal Tea

If you are sick and tired of antibiotics, antihistamines, antacids, and all these over-the-counter drugs, you might want to try giving Chinese herbal teas a chance. I'm not talking about herbal teas that are sold inside boxes in your local drug store. I'm talking about a nifty idea called prescription herbal teas. Just like a conventional medical clinic, you go see a doctor, tell him what ails you, and the doctor writes a list of ingredients to put in your tea. The prescription is then given to a pharmacist, who grabs dried herbs, barks, and other strange-looking things (beetles and bees included), and bunches them up inside a plastic container.

It's then off to the kitchen with you. Throw all the dried ingredients in a saucepan, pour several cups of water (quantity will depend on the doctor), and heat it for a certain duration (will also depend on the doctor). The eventual result is this sometimes murky, sometimes clear, dark brown to black substance that you must chug down... satisfied smile at the end not required... and not quite possible, in my opinion.

This stuff can be real nasty. It's bitter, sweet, salty, sour, and spicy, all at the same time. The smell can be quite overpowering as well. I recommend a candy or two beside you so you can suck on them after your drink. I also recommend that you recite a mantra, "I need this drink", inside your head over and over for your psychological wellness.

Needless to say, this stuff may be able to help you if you've gone astray from those pesky tablets and capsules. It can cure anything from insomnia to common colds. Some forms of this Chinese herbal tea can be used as vitamins to stimulate growth or your appetite.

Side effects? It may cause a few stomach problems, but they are only temporary. If you can get past the taste, then you should consider it.

~ Fit FactorY

Colostrum Capsules

I've been taking Colostrum capsules as my vitamins for 2 years now. Colostrum comes from the breast milk of mammal mothers; in my case, I'm drinking Colostrum from cows. I'm very interested to know how they actually manufacture these capsules - if they have some sort of factory where all the fit mammal mothers are lined up, or something. Anyway, on to the health aspect:

What are the health benefits?
We all know the health benefits of breast milk - a stronger immune system, most especially. This is why mothers are urged to provide breast milk to their children until a year. Colostrum capsules boast the same health benefits.

Side effects?
Some people complain of gastro-related side effects from taking these vitamins. I personally experienced this too during the first month of taking it. The effects I experienced were nothing grave, just a bit of flatulence and slightly looser bowel (nothing that will make you go to the bathroom in the middle of the day). By the second month, however, my body got used to the routine already and it has actually contributed to my having a regular morning routine.

Best time to take them?
Colostrum capsules should be taken 45 minutes before breakfast, when your stomach is empty. Drink 1 full glass of water with your capsule.

How many should you take?
Personally, I only take 1 a day. My brother took 2 to 3 before, but ended up having an increase of triglyceride in his blood. Now, we're not 100% sure that it was caused by the increase in Colostrum dosage, but the doctor he consulted with seemed to believe it. He also lowered his dosage back to 1 a day, and his blood test results returned fine months later. I guess the old adage, "anything in excess is not good" holds true even for vitamins.

For more info about Colostrum, go to this link:

http://www.colostrumresearch.org/

Their FAQs section is very helpful as well.

About the Fit FactorY Blog

Hi everyone! This is my first post to my blog. I've been wanting to do this for quite a while now, but only had the time to set everything up today.

Fit FactorY is a blog about fitness and wellness primarily for the Generation Y.

I am just your ordinary Gen Y girl. Ideally, my job is an 8 to 5 one, but there are OT's to be had, so I end up going home much later, giving me little time and energy to cook myself a good, healthy meal.

None the less, I am on a quest for good health tips, vitamins, recipes, etc. that I can fit into my hectic lifestyle.

I've actually tried several vitamins, medicine, and health routines over the years, from oil pulling to drinking Colostrum capsules to trying out herbal medicine made from dried up barks and other queer things. I plan to talk about all these things in the posts to come.

Hope you guys have a good read!