Tip 252. Selenium, the Stamina M
i
neral
The mineral selenium c
r
eates stamina.
Selenium and vitamin E
are synergistic and the
t
wo together are stronger
than the s
u
m of the equal parts.
Selenium slows down ageing and
h
ardening of
t
issues
t
hro
u
gh oxidation. Males seem to have a greater need for this mineral. Nearly half of the total su
p
ply in the body is concentrat
e
d in the testicles and
in
t
he seminal
ducts adj
ac
ent to the p
r
ostate glan
d
.
Selenium is useful in
k
e
eping youthful elasticity in tissu
e
s
. It
alleviates h
o
t flushes a
n
d menopausal distress. It
also helps in the prevention and trea
t
ment of dandruff.
This mineral is found in
Brewer's y
e
ast, garlic,
o
nions, tomatoes, eggs,
milk and s
e
a food.
There is no
official
d
iet
a
ry allowance for seleni
u
m but, 50 to 100 mcg is
considered
adequate. Deficiency of this miner
a
l
can ca
u
s
e
premature loss of stamina.
Tip 253. Silicon, the "Beauty
Mineral"
Silicon
i
s
k
n
own as the " beauty mi
n
eral " as it
i
s essenti
a
l f
o
r the growth of skin, h
a
ir
shafts, nails and o
t
her outer c
o
verings of the body. It also makes t
h
e eyes bright and assists in hardening t
h
e enamel of the teeth. It is beneficial in all heali
n
g process a
n
d protects
b
ody against many diseases such as tube
r
culosis, irrit
a
tions in mucous membr
a
nes and skin disorders. Silicon is fou
n
d in apples,
cherries, gr
a
pes, aspar
a
gus, beets,
onions, al
m
onds, honey, peanuts and the juices of the
green leaves of most other vegetables.
No official dietary allowance has be
e
n establi
s
h
e
d for this mineral. Deficiency can l
e
ad to soft brittle nails,
ageing symptoms of skin such as
w
rinkles, t
h
i
n
ning or loss
of hair, poor
bone developme
n
t, insomnia,
osteoporosis.
Tip 254. Take a Bead on B
Today, ensure your nutrition inclu
d
es the B vitam
i
ns.
There are a large variety of vitamins in the B group, the more important being B1 or thiamine, B2or riboflavin, B3 or niacin or nicotinic acid, B6 or pyridoxine, B9 or folic acid, B12 and B5 or
pantothenic acid. B vitamins are synergistic. They are more potent together than when used separately.
Whole grai
n
s
and dark, leafy veget
a
bles are excellent sup
p
lies of vitamin B1, also known as thiamine.
Known as anti-beriberi,
anti-neuritic
and anti-ag
e
ing vitamin, thiamine plays an important role in the normal functioning
o
f the nervous system, the regulation
of carbohydrates and g
o
od
digestion. It
protects he
a
rt muscle, s
t
imulates brain action a
n
d helps prevent constip
a
tion. It has a mild
d
iuretic eff
e
c
t
. Valuable sources of this vitamin are wheat germ, yeast, t
h
e outer
layer of whole grains,
c
e
reals, puls
e
s, nuts, pe
a
s, legumes,
dark green leafy veget
a
bles, milk, egg, banana and apple.
The deficie
n
c
y of thiamine can cause serious i
m
pairment of the digestive system and chronic constipation, l
o
ss
of weight, diabetes, mental depression,
nervous ex
h
austion and
weakness of
the heart.
The recommended daily allowance for this vit
a
min is about
two milligrams for adults and 1.2
mg for children. The ne
e
d for this vi
t
amin increases during
illness, str
e
ss and surgery as well
as during p
r
egnancy and lactation.
When taken in a large
q
uantity, say up to 50 mg, it is beneficial
in
the treatment of digestive disorders,
neuritis a
n
d other nervous troubles as well as mental depression. For
best resul
t
s,
all other vi
t
amins of B group should
be adminis
t
ered simultaneously. Prolonged ingestion of large doses of any one of the isolated B complex vitamins m
a
y result in high urinary losses of oth
e
r B-vitamins
and lead to
deficiencies
of these vitamins.
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